Negative compatibility effect: the object-updating hypothesis revisited.

A prime even if backward masked can affect the reaction to a subsequently presented target. According to the object-updating hypothesis, negative CE (i.e. longer reactions in the compatible than incompatible trials) occurs due to the interaction between prime and a subsequent stimulus (usually a mask or flanker). Its crucial assumption is that only new elements of the mask can affect the response. As the masks are usually composed of figures that call for both possible responses, the masks' new element calls for a response opposite to that initialized by the prime. Here an experiment is described in which the prime and target were two arrowheads pointing to left or right. Two different flankers were composed from the two heads pointing to the opposite directions. In contrast to the OU hypothesis, NCEs were different for the two flankers. This finding contradicts the OU hypothesis.