Abstract
In identity-based tasks, masked distracters, which are phenomenally invisible and therefore processed ‘automatically’ show adaptation to changes in task demands whereby, for example, these distracters retrieve/activate newly assigned (incompatible) responses (O’Connor & Neill, 2010). The resultant claim was that ‘automatic does not mean inevitable’. CURRENT AIMS: To test for automatic processing flexibility when target location rather than target identity was salient. Ultimately, to determine whether the processing related to masked distracter-occupied locations showed evidence of accommodating new location response assignments (incompatible conditions). The rapidity of any adaptation, and how adaptation compared for both visible and invisible (masked) distracter locations were also of interest. METHOD: A spatial negative priming [SNP] task with both forced- and free-choice trials as well as compatible and incompatible location-to-response mappings was implemented. RESULTS/IMPLICATIONS: (a) with compatible location-response mappings, masked (prime trial) distracter-occupied locations showed evidence of being (automatically) processed/showed an SNP effect; (b) masked distracter locations manifested rapid adaptation in the incompatible conditions & reaction times for newly assigned and old (compatible) responses were equal early, showing that both were activated (then inhibited) during masked distracter processing. Thus, automatic processing is both flexible (new response activation) and inevitable (old response activation); and (c) inhibitory after-effect production and adaptation rates for visible and non visible distracter locations are not consistently related.Acknowledgments: NSERC supported