How Social Are Task Representations?

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02367.x Byline: Bernhard Hommel (1), Lorenza S. Colzato (1), Wery P.M. van den Wildenberg (2) Abstract: ABSTRACT The classical Simon effect shows that actions are carried out faster if they spatially correspond to the stimulus signaling them. Recent studies revealed that this is the case even when the two actions are carried out by different people; this finding has been taken to imply that task representations are socially shared. In work described here, we found that the 'interactive' Simon effect occurs only if actor and coactor are involved in a positive relationship (induced by a friendly-acting, cooperative confederate), but not if they are involved in a negative relationship (induced by an intimidating, competitive confederate). This result suggests that agents can represent self-generated and other-generated actions separately, but tend to relate or integrate these representations if the personal relationship between self and other has a positive valence. Author Affiliation: (1)Leiden University and (2)University of Amsterdam Article History: (R eceived 7/26/08; R evision accepted 12/15/08) Article note: Address correspondence to Bernhard Hommel, Leiden University, Department of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands, e-mail: hommel@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.