Usually, humans perform bodily movements to obtain certain goals. For example, one touches the light switch in order to switch on the light - not simply to move the arm in this particular way. Ideomotor theory assumes that the perceivable consequences of an action (the action effects) are anticipated for action selection. In other words: What sensorimotor models term "response selection" might in fact be action effect anticipation.

We have so far investigated the influence of action effects in a variety of settings, ranging from key press single-task studies, to studies using wheel-rotations and an aviation display, or simple levers such as used in laparoscopic surgery. In addition, we have combined this approach with dual-task situations and results show that dual-tasks depend on action goals and their compatibility, instead of merely the involved effectors.

Recent publications:

Janczyk, M., Xiong, A., & Proctor, R.W. (accepted/in press). Stimulus-response and response-effect compatibility with touchless gestures and moving action effects. Human Factors.

Janczyk, M., & Lerche, V. (2019). A diffusion model analysis of the response-effect compatibility effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 148, 237-251.

Dignath, D. & Janczyk, M. (2017). Anticipation of delayed action-effects: Learning when an effect occurs, without knowing what this effect will be. Psychological Research, 81, 1072-1083.

Janczyk, M., Durst, M., & Ulrich, R. (2017). Action selection by temporally distal goal-states. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 24, 467-473.

Janczyk, M. (2016). Die Rolle von Handlungszielen bei der Entstehung von Doppelaufgabenkosten. Psychologische Rundschau, 67, 237-249

Janczyk, M., Welsh, T.N., & Dolk, T. (2016). A role of goals for social inhibition of return? The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 69, 2402-2418.

Janczyk, M., Yamaguchi, M., Proctor, R.W., Pfister, R. (2015). Response-effect compatibility with complex actions: The case of wheel rotations. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 77, 930-940.

Wirth, R., Pfister, R., Janczyk, M., & Kunde, W. (2015). Through the portal: Effect anticipation in the central bottleneck. Acta Psychologica, 160, 141-151.

Janczyk, M. & Kunde, W. (2014). The role of effect grouping in free-choice response selection. Acta Psychologica, 150, 49-54.

Janczyk, M., Pfister, R., Hommel, B., & Kunde, W. (2014). Who is talking in backward crosstalk? Disentangling response- from goal-conflict in dual-task performance. Cognition, 132, 30-43.

Janczyk, M., Pfister, R., Wallmeier, G., & Kunde, W. (2014). Exceptions from the PRP effect? A comparison of prepared and unconditioned reflexes. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40, 776-786.

Pfister, R., Janczyk, M., Gressmann, M., Fournier, L.R., & Kunde, W. (2014). Good vibrations? Vibrotactile self-stimulation reveals anticipation of body-related action effects in motor control. Experimental Brain Research, 232(3), 847-854.

Pfister, R., Janczyk, M., Wirth, R., Dignath, D., & Kunde, W. (2014). Thinking with portals: Revisiting kinematic cues to intention. Cognition, 133(2), 464-473.

Janczyk, M., Heinemann, A., & Pfister, R. (2012). Instant attraction: Immediate action-effect bindings occur for both, stimulus- and goal-driven actions. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 446.

Janczyk, M., Pfister, R., Crognale, M., & Kunde, W. (2012). Effective rotations: Action effects determine the interplay of mental and manual rotations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141, 489-501.

Janczyk, M., Pfister, R. & Kunde, W. (2012). On the persistence of tool-based compatibility effects. Journal of Psychology, 220, 16-22.

Kunde, W., Pfister, R. & Janczyk, M. (2012). The locus of tool-transformation costs. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 38, 703-714.

Pfister, R., Heinemann, A., Kiesel, A., Thomaschke, R., Janczyk, M. (2012). Do endogenous and exogenous action control compete for perception? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 38, 279-284.

Pfister, R., & Janczyk, M. (2012). Harleß' Apparatus of Will: 150 years later. Psychological Research, 76, 561-565.

Janczyk, M., Skirde, S., Weigelt, M. & Kunde, W. (2009). Visual and tactile action effects determine bimanual coordination performance. Human Movement Science, 28, 437-449.