Investigation of stimulus–response compatibility using a startling acoustic stimulus

We investigated the processes underlying stimulus–response compatibility by using a lateralized auditory stimulus in a simple and choice reaction time (RT) paradigm. Participants were asked to make either a left or right key lift in response to either a control (80 dB) or startling (124 dB) stimulus presented to either the left ear, right ear, or both ears. In the simple RT paradigm, we did not find a compatibility effect for either control or startle trials but did find a right-ear advantage which we attribute to anatomical asymmetry of auditory pathways. In the choice RT paradigm, we found compatibility effects for both startle and control trials as well a high incidence of error for contralateral stimulus–response mapping. We attribute these results to automatic activation of the ipsilateral response, which must then be inhibited prior to initiation of the correct response. The presence of compatibility effects for startle trials also suggest that similar pathways are being used to initiate movements in a choice RT situation, as opposed to involuntary triggering that is thought to occur in a simple RT situation.

► Subjects performed simple and choice RT task with a lateralized acoustic “go” signal.
► “Go” signal could be control tone (82 dB) or startling acoustic stimulus (124 dB).
► No compatibility effects found for simple RT for either control or startle trials.
► Compatibility effects found for choice RT for both control or startle trials.
► Results are discussed in terms of neural initiation pathways for startling stimulus.