Action control is hierarchically organized. Multiple consecutive responses can be integrated into an event representation of higher order and can retrieve each other upon repetition, resulting in so-called response-response binding effects. Previous research indicates that the spatial separation of responses can affect how easily they can be cognitively separated. In this study, we introduced a barrier between the responding hands to investigate whether the spatial separation of two responses also influences response-response binding effects. In line with previous research on stimulus-response binding, we expected an increased separability of responses to result in stronger response-response binding effects when responding hands were separated by a barrier. We indeed found stronger response-response binding effects with separated hands. Results indicate that a more distinct representation of individual actions through increased separability might benefit the control of hierarchical actions.
Keywords: Action control; Binding and retrieval; Response separation; Response-response binding.
© 2024. The Author(s).