The role of compatibility in long-term action-effect binding and effect memory.

Abstract

Through interactions with our environment, we cause perceivable effects. In four experiments, we investigated long-term bindings between action and effect features in action-effect episodes, and how they are influenced by action-effect compatibility (AEC). In addition, we asked whether AEC facilitates memory for effects. In a prime phase, participants performed actions that resulted in an effect that comprised two features, namely a spatial feature (a linear movement or rotation of a box in a certain direction) and a certain identity of a word presented in that box. The effect movement or rotation was either spatially compatible or incompatible (or neutral, in Experiment 3) to the action. In a subsequent probe phase, we assessed whether participants were inclined to repeat the action when re-presented with the effect word. Memory for effect words was also tested. Results showed a higher propensity to repeat an action in Experiments 1-3, but not when the influence of spatial effect features was reduced (Experiment 4). Participants further tended to retrieve the spatial effect location in the neutral condition to a similar extent to in the compatible and incompatible condition in Experiment 3. These findings suggest long-term feature bindings after one-shot learning of action-effect episodes, although primarily due to bindings between different effect features rather than between action and effect features. AEC facilitated memory for effect words in a free recall test (Experiment 1) given repeated presentation of the effect word, but not in a recognition test (Experiments 2-4). Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.