Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42081052›Full record

ArticlePsychological research2026

Shifting and zooming through space … or not: The role of attention in spatial compatibility tasks - A replication of Stoffer (1991).

Pamela Baess, Shabnamalsadat Ayatollahi, Christina Bermeitinger, Luisa Bogenschütz, Pia Fenske, Ryan P M Hackländer, Mohammad Hamzeloo, Gustavo Adolfo León Montoya

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Article in Psychological research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Pamela BaessDepartment of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Unversitaetsplatz 1, Hildesheim, D - 31141, Germany. baessp@uni-hildesheim.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7404-6683
Shabnamalsadat AyatollahiDepartment of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Unversitaetsplatz 1, Hildesheim, D - 31141, Germany.
Christina BermeitingerDepartment of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Unversitaetsplatz 1, Hildesheim, D - 31141, Germany.
Luisa BogenschützDepartment of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Unversitaetsplatz 1, Hildesheim, D - 31141, Germany.
Pia FenskeDepartment of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Unversitaetsplatz 1, Hildesheim, D - 31141, Germany.
Ryan P M HackländerDepartment of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Unversitaetsplatz 1, Hildesheim, D - 31141, Germany.
Mohammad HamzelooDepartment of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Unversitaetsplatz 1, Hildesheim, D - 31141, Germany.
Gustavo Adolfo León MontoyaDepartment of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Unversitaetsplatz 1, Hildesheim, D - 31141, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The mechanism of spatial coding involved in the Simon effect remain debated, with two prominent theories - the attention-shifting account Stoffer, (Psychological Research, 53(2), 127-135, 1991) and the referential coding account Hommel, (Psychological Research, 55(3), 208-222, 1993b) - offering competing explanations why the irrelevant stimulus-location is coded. To date, neither account can fully explain all available empirical data. Most published studies rely on limited sample sizes, which constrains statistical power and leaves the field without conclusive evidence. This study directly replicated Stoffer's (Psychological Research, 53(2), 127-135, 1991) investigation into attentional subprocesses that generate the Simon effect. We manipulated target spatial position across two reference frames: a global frame based on target's screen side and a local frame defined by the relative position within each screen side, allowing us to test for both global and local Simon effects. Targets were presented inside precues, either a large box or two small boxes, which were presented simultaneously with or sequentially before the target. With an adequately-powered sample, our study revealed concurrent global and local Simon effects - a result different from Stoffer's original findings. Only the local Simon effect varied with precue type and simultaneous or sequential target presentation. These results clarify the conditions under which attentional shifting and referential coding mechanisms contribute to different Simon effects, demonstrating that when spatial target positions are defined by both global and local reference frames, these mechanisms shape the emergence of distinct Simon effects in different ways.

Indexed as

AttentionPsychomotor PerformanceSpace PerceptionFemaleHumansMaleReaction TimeAttentional shiftingDelta plotsPerception and actionReferential codingSimon effectSpatial compatibility

Identifiers

PMID42081052
PMCPMC13139253

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