负相容效应理论与研究

The Theory and Research of the Negative Compatibility Effect

负相容效应指在掩蔽的箭头启动项后呈现箭头目标项时,对与启动项方向不一致的目标项反应更快的现象。综述了负相容效应的主要理论及其实验依据,包括自我抑制理论、知觉交互作用理论、双系统假设、后效假设和评估窗假设。提出未来研究要关注于实验控制的系统化和规范化、理论修正与整合、认知神经研究方法应用以及提高研究生态效度。

The Negative Compatibility Effect （NCE） is the surprising result that masked prime arrows inhibit the responses of compatibility target arrows and facilitate the responses to opposite direction target arrows at the Prime-Target Interstimulus Interval （ISI） of around lOOms, which is reversed when ISI is less than 60ms. NCE, a kind of subliminal perception,gives rise to a large amount of research because it is subliminal and counterintuitive. This article reviews the major theories and research of NCE, including two major theories： the self-inhibition hypothesis and the perceptual interaction theory, as well as other three theories proposed in recent years：- the two --system interpretation hypothesis, the cognitive aftereffects hypothesis, and the evaluation window account. The self-inhibition hypothesis proposes that NCE is due to the inhibition of response code, reflecting an automatic self-inhibition of the response triggered by the invisible prime. It has been proved by the Lateralized Readiness Potential （LRP） and most behavioral research ,but challenged by research obtaining NCE with the visible prime. According to the Perceptual Interaction Theory, NCE is due to the perceptual interaction between the arrow prime and the mask when they have properties in common. It is not the visibility but the perceptual properties that decide the direction of priming. But there are research findings that show NCE without mask or with stimulus without similar properties. The Two-System Interpretation Hypothesis, which tries to combine the two major theories, proposes that different mechanisms operate simultaneously in different ways. But there are still some details to be considered. The Cognitive Aftereffects Hypothesis considers NCE as an aftereffect that produces a negative image due to overexposure and habituation to a stimulus for reducing source confusion between successively presented stimuli. This hypothesis tries to explain NCE together with other negative priming effects from the perspective of neurobiology, but needs more evidence. The key principle of the Evaluation Window Account is that a participant＇s evaluation of incoming evidence across a time window, and decisions about stimulus category are driven by changes in evidence weighted according to the Weber-Fechner Law, leading to NCE for primes falling outside the time window and to PCE for primes inside the time window. We analyzed the problems and difficulties in NCE research, such as the different standards of visibility in experimental control and different definitions of stimulus similarity, which resulted in inappropriate comparisons of the results and different conclusions. Another problem is the difficulty applying cognitive neuroscience methods to investigating the neuro-mechanism of NCE because the time course is too short for the Event-Related Potential （ERP） study. As subliminal negative priming, NCE provides an important channel to comprehend unconscious cognition. Future research should focus on the neural mechanism and ecological significance of the effect, and systematically and deeply investigate the mechanism and function of NCE.