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The Simon Effect

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The Simon Effect and Emotion: The Effect of Emotional Expression and Gaze Direction on Reaction Time
500382295
Bangor University

Abstract
Research has consistently demonstrated the Simon effect, however, the effect of emotion in this context yields mixed results. Therefore the present study aimed to bring some closure to this uncertainty, by assessing the effect of congruency and emotional expression (happy, neutral, fearful) on reaction times, and any interactions. Participants (141 females, 59 males; M age = 20.95) were instructed to respond to on-screen instructions, using either their left or right hand, which presented trials consisting of congruent, neutral and incongruent eye gazes, as well as the emotions said …show more content…

Research conducted on primates has discovered distinct cells in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) that react to perceived eye gaze (Perrett, Hietanen, Oram, Benson, & Rolls, 1992), with further research showing activation of the human STS in response to eye gaze, and more so when this gaze was mutual (Pelphrey, Viola, & McCarthy, 2004). This is not surprising when considering the reliable impact of the Simon effect, and how infants use gaze direction as a cue for attention (Farroni, Johnson, Brockbank, & Simion, 2000) and by 12 months consistently follow another person’s gaze (Corkum, & Moore, 1995). To have a brain area directly related to eye gaze suggests the importance of these neural systems, which may be an evolutionary adaptation, as it makes theoretical sense to follow a person’s eye gaze under circumstances of possible dangers. Research has highlighted how neural networks combine eye gaze with perceived facial emotion to mould the host’s behaviour (Hadjikhani, Hoge, Snyder, & de Gelder, 2008) and how the combination can highlight threats in one’s surroundings (Hoehl et al., 2008). Based on this research, the present study’s results concerning emotion are confusing when considering the evidence highlighting the importance of eye gaze and fearful emotional perception. However, it may be more pronounced in individuals with trait anxiety (Mathews et al., 2003), which could explain the conflicting evidence. The effect of mundane realism may also contribute to this effect, as anxious participants reliably respond to danger-related stimuli much more than controls (MacLeod & Mathews, 1988), therefore fearful expressions alone may not be sufficient to illicit such a response in non-anxious individuals (Mathews et al., 2003). As such, it is recommended that further research be conducted by differentiating participants based on anxiety levels,

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