Compatibility Effects With Simple Lever Tools: A Replication and Extension Beyond Simple Button Responses

ObjectiveWe examined how response-effect (RE), stimulus-response (SR), and stimulus-effect (SE) compatibility jointly influence performance in lever tool use, and test the robustness of previous results across different input modalities.BackgroundAccording to the ideomotor principle, motor actions are selected via anticipating their effects. This becomes particularly relevant in tool use, where the relationship between hand movement and tool movement might be inverted. While various compatibilities are known to influence performance, their interactions remain poorly understood.MethodWe built upon work by Müsseler and Skottke (2011) using orthogonal manipulations of RE, SR, and SE compatibility. Across four experiments with student samples (2022-2024), we varied input modality (button presses, continuous sliders, touchless gestures) and lever rotation type (discrete vs. continuous) to assess the generalizability of the original findings.ResultsMüsseler and Skottke (2011) showed that the interaction of SR and SE compatibility depends on the RE compatibility condition. Consistent with this, we found that under RE compatible conditions, performance was improved when SR and SE compatibilities aligned. However, under RE incompatible conditions, the SR × SE interaction disappeared with button press responses (Experiments 1 and 2) or reversed with more continuous responses (Experiments 3 and 4).ConclusionThese findings highlight the dynamic interplay of various compatibility relations for untrained participants, and that this interplay depends on, for example, the input device.ApplicationOur results inform the design of human-tool interfaces by highlighting when aligning response-effect mappings benefits performance and when mismatches can alter or even reverse other compatibility relationships.