Résumé
Previous research has shown that non-directional, predictive symbolic cues can influence reaching behavior in motor tasks, often producing inhibition of return (IOR)-like effects. However, facilitatory effects, commonly seen with traditional peripheral cues, have yet to be clearly observed in response to centrally presented symbolic cues. The present study aims to examine whether such cues can produce facilitatory effects under conditions of increased temporal constraint in a Go-Before-You-Know (GBYK) task. Participants initiated reaching movements toward one of two possible target locations following the presentation of one of four predictive symbolic cues, before the true target location was revealed. The cues varied in their predictiveness, with two cues associated with a high likelihood (80%) of target appearance on either the left or right side, and two cues associated with a low likelihood (52.5 and 47.5%, respectively). A key amendment from the prior design was the introduction of a minimum velocity threshold that had to be met before the target appeared, reducing the likelihood of movement delay and promoting early commitment to a target side.
Results showed that participants implicitly learned the associations between cue type and target location. They more frequently initiated reaches toward the predicted target side following high predictive cues compared to the low predictive cues. These results would suggest that under stricter task constraints, participants can utilize symbolic information strategically to enhance goal-directed behavior, providing new insights into how implicit cue learning influences motor planning.
