Inhibition of return in a selective reaching task: An investigation of reference frames

Most previous studies of inhibition of return (IOR) have examined reaction time (RT) and accuracy. These effects have been observed via saccades to ta rgets or with key-press responses. In this study the authors examined, for the first time, IOR in components of a selective reaching task in which par ticipants directly reached for and depressed target keys. When the interval between cue and target was 600 ms, robust IOR effects were observed in RT to begin the reach, but no effects were observed in the movement components (movement time to complete the reach and the path of the reach). However, when the cue-target interval was short (200 ms), hand paths deviated toward the cue. The results suggest that although RT measures of IOR appear to re veal perceptual rather than action-based processes, action-based representa tions may be briefly activated by irrelevant cues, which can be observed vi a analysis of three-dimensional reach path.