A Parallel Distributed Processing Model of Stimulus–Stimulus and Stimulus–Response Compatibility

Abstract

A parallel distributed processing (PDP) model is proposed to account for choice reaction time (RT) performance in diverse cognitive and perceptual tasks such as the Stroop task, the Simon task, the Eriksen flanker task, and the stimulus–response compatibility task that are interrelated in terms of stimulus–stimulus and stimulus–response overlap (Kornblum, 1992). In multilayered (input–intermediate–output) networks, neuron-like nodes that represent stimulus and response features are grouped into mutually inhibitory modules that represent stimulus and response dimensions. The stimulus–stimulus overlap is implemented by a convergence of two input modules onto a common intermediate module, and the stimulus–response overlap by direct pathways representing automatic priming of outputs. Mean RTs are simulated in various simple tasks and, furthermore, predictions are generated for complex tasks based on performance in simpler tasks. The match between simulated and experimental results lends strong support for our PDP model of compatibility.