Seibold Verena C, Bausenhart Karin M, Rolke Bettina, Ulrich Rolf
Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Germany.
Acta Psychol (Amst). 2011 May;137(1):56-64. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2011.02.006. Epub 2011 Mar 25.
Recent studies showed that temporal preparation, i.e., the ability to prepare for an upcoming stimulus, improves perceptual processing. The mechanisms underlying this benefit are still controversial. Based upon the theoretical framework of accumulation models, it has been proposed that the accumulation of sensory stimulus information begins earlier when participants are temporally prepared than when they are unprepared. Alternatively, however, temporal preparation might also affect the accumulation rate of sensory information. In the present study, we examined these possibilities. Specifically, in three experiments, we manipulated participants' decision criterion. This manipulation should interact with any experimental manipulation affecting the rate of information processing, but produce additive effects with any manipulation affecting the onset of information accumulation rather than its rate. We obtained additive effects on RT, irrespective of whether the decision criterion was manipulated by increasing catch trial proportion or nogo trial proportion. These results suggest that temporal preparation improves perceptual processing by operating on the onset of sensory information accumulation rather than the rate of sensory information accumulation.
近期研究表明，时间准备，即对即将到来的刺激进行准备的能力，可改善知觉加工。这种益处背后的机制仍存在争议。基于累加模型的理论框架，有人提出，当参与者进行时间准备时，感觉刺激信息的累加比未进行准备时更早开始。然而，时间准备也可能会影响感觉信息的累加速率。在本研究中，我们检验了这些可能性。具体而言，在三个实验中，我们操纵了参与者的决策标准。这种操纵应与任何影响信息处理速率的实验操纵相互作用，但与任何影响信息累加起始而非其速率的操纵产生累加效应。无论决策标准是通过增加捕捉试验比例还是否试验比例来操纵，我们都在反应时上获得了累加效应。这些结果表明，时间准备通过作用于感觉信息累加的起始而非感觉信息累加的速率来改善知觉加工。
