Stimulus-Response compatibility effect for hand and foot controls with visual signals on eccentric and central positions in horizontal orientation

Most of the studies on spatial Stimulus Response (S-R) compatibility are limited to the use of hand controls, and there are insufficient ergonomics guidelines on the use of foot controls with due consideration on the possible importance of spatial compatibility. If some controls of a process can be given over to the feet, there would be an obvious advantage in freeing the hands for other tasks. To have the feet responsible for manipulating controls, it is of great importance to understand how well the feet interact and cooperate with the hands in response execution. This study examined the performance of thirty two Chinese right-handed/footed participants for four-choice reaction tasks with compatible and incompatible mappings of visual signals and mixed controls of hand and foot on a horizontal array. A significant interaction between visual signal positions and hand and foot control positions was demonstrated, revealing the existence of spatial S-R compatibility effect similar to that found with the sole use of hand controls. The results were translated into practical recommendations for design of control-display configurations of hand and foot controls. © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, London.