Vibro-tactual choice reaction time in a precuing paradigm

The goal of the present study was to examine the pattern of precuing benefits in a tactual precuing task. In contrast to visual precuing tasks, where visual precues specify a subset of potential finger responses, the tactual precuing task specifies a subset of finger responses tactually, and hence more directly. In Experiment 1 baseline values were established for fourchoice and two-choice tactual conditions. In Experiment 2 these conditions were embedded in a precuing paradigm with tactual precues specifying a subset of responses. Results showed a pattern of tactual precuing benefits that differed dramatically from the usual pattern found for visual cues. That is, the finger-cued condition produced a significant precuing advantage of 32 ms that was independent of preparation interval and the hand-cued condition showed a small (5 ms) non-significant precuing benefit. We argue that this differential pattern of results for tactual and visual precues is consistent with the view that tactual and visual precues rely in different degrees on stimulus-response translation processes involved in the selection of precued responses. With visual precues, this selection process is rather indirect and requires the involvement of the translation stage mediating between visual and response codes. With tactual precues, this selection process is more direct and possibly mediated by task-specific productions that relate stimuli directly and automatically to specific fingers. Overall, the results support the view that the mediating role of the translation stage is reduced with tactual stimuli.