Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

This study determined if features of an action plan held in working memory are activated to the same extent (consistent with serial memory theories) or in a gradient (consistent with theories that assume serial order is imposed prior to response selection). Two visual events (A and B) occurred in a sequence. Participants planned an action (3-finger, key sequence) to the first event (Action A) and maintained this action in working memory while executing a speeded response (1-finger key-press) to the second event (Action B). Afterwards, participants executed Action A. We manipulated whether Action B overlapped with the first, second or final feature of Action A, and examined the pattern of correct, Action B RTs at the different overlap locations by finger (index, middle, ring), as well as the error rates of both Action A and Action B. Results indicate that 3-finger sequences were not activated equally or in a gradient. Instead, feature activation reflected a serial position curve or a reverse serial position curve dependent on finger.