Response Effect Compatibility Based On Numerical Representation

Response effect compatibility is the hot spot in the field of cognitive and engineering psychology. The response-effect compatibility paradigm was derived from the ideomotor theory, which assumes that motor actions are initiated by activating anticipatorily images of their intended effects. In a typical response effect compatibility paradigm, the anticipation of future stimuli elicits facilitation or interference effects. The previous studies have been proved the existed of response effect compatibility in the two reaction ways of pressing key and verbal response, whether or not to produce the actual action (pressing/verbal response) will have effect on the response effect compatibility? Whether the actual action will strengthen the compatibility effect? Or is the actual action to slow the reaction rate? So, the present study using key press and verbal reaction, examined that whether anticipatory images are processed at a conceptual level, providing some empirical support for human-computer interface design.At the beginning of children learning the concept of numbers, they would use some objects (e.g., rods, fingers) to represent this abstract conception. Finger-number representation is one method to represent number methods, at the beginning of learning the concept of number, children would learn some finger-number representations under the specific cultural background. Previous studies have shown that this kind of fingers-number representation can promote and forecast the development of young children mathematical ability. Under our Chinese culture background, the finger number representation has its special connotation, especially the representation of larger numbers is a kind of symbolic representation (especially more than five). Therefore, this study through 3 experiments respectively with the method of rods, cumulative fingers and the Chinese finger-number representation, discussed the influence of the different number representations to the response effect compatibility, at the same time, compared the differences between these number representations.Experiment 1 aimed to verify the response effect compatibility effect exists in number conception using key presses and verbal reactions; On the basis of experiment 1, experiment 2 used cumulative fingers representing numbers, which has similar nature with experiment 1, in order to clarify the advantage effect of finger number representation; Experiment 3 adopted finger number representation mode of Chinese people, in order to try to rule out the number 1 and 2 of the representation in the perception level of compatibility, and compared with the experiment 2 to discuss the influence of individual finger habits to response effect compatibility. The experimental results showed that response effect compatibility on number conceptions level all existed in the two kinds of reactions and three kinds of number representation modes, supporting the ideomotor theory. In addition, the fingers number representation in both experiment 3 and 2 are better than rods representing numbers in experiment 1, showing the advantages of the fingers number representation, fingers as part of the body compared to material objects differently impacted cognitive processing, which supported the views of embodied numerosity. Experiments 3 using our Chinese finger number representation mode, there were no significant differences compared with the experiment 2 both in the compatible and incompatible conditions. In other words, the fingers representing habits did not impact the response effect compatibility. The reason may be that the mode of cumulative fingers representing numbers not only include the conceptual level of accurate number semantic, but also contain the perceptual level of approximate quantity meaning, this dual connotation accelerated the reaction rate of the individual. Even though, the existence of the response effect compatibility in experiment 3 also shows semantic connection existed between the fingers-number representation and specific numbers.