SQARC effect for different chromatic stimuli

Čolak, Iva. (2012). SQARC effect for different chromatic stimuli. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Psychology. [mentor Ivanec, Dragutin].

PDF (Croatian) - Registered users only Download (283kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Spatial – numerical association of response codes or SNARC effect reflects the tendency to respond faster with the left hand to relatively small numbers and with the right hand to relatively large numbers. The SNARC effect is traditionally explained as an evidence of direct mapping from the representation of numbers on a left-to-right mental number line to response locations. However, recent research suggest SNARC could be obtained with nonnumerical ordinal stimuli. More over, some authors believe that SNARC is not exclusively related to numerical magnitude processing, but can be generalized on processing of other quantitative codes (Walsh, 2003) and should be named SQUARC effect ( spatial – quantitative association of response codes).The aim of this study was to determine whether SQUARC effect could be obtained with chromatic ordinal sequence. Two experiments were conducted: in first experiment subjects were presented with instructions that implied ordinal sequence of the color stimuli according to wavelength spectrum and in second experiment instruction suggested ordinal sequence of the color stimuli according to frequency spectrum. Results showed that subject's left-hand responses were faster to low wavelength/low frequency stimuli, while right-hand responses were faster to high wavelength/high frequency stimuli. In conclusion, results show that quantitative sequence causes quantitative spatial correlation, ie. we may react differently to identical stimulus, depending on how we categorized it.

Actions (login required)

View Item