A system for describing mechanisms underlying the congruency sequence effect or the proportion congruency effect

The congruency sequence effect (CSE) and the proportion congruency effect (PCE) are typical findings in experimental conflict protocols. Given the ever-increasing number of, in part, radically different mechanisms proposed to explain either effect, a unified system for describing candidate mechanisms appears desirable. In this article, we show that such a system can be derived by focusing on functional similarities among all mechanisms capable of explaining either effect. The latter perspective reveals the adaptive dynamic that all such mechanisms share. This shared dynamic allows describing each mechanism by addressing the same questions about how this dynamic is implemented. We contend that this description system facilitates comparisons between mechanisms, and relating the discourse on the CSE and PCE to other lines of discourse. First, we introduce the adaptive dy-namic and the questions about its implementation. Then, we answer these questions for exemplary cases. Finally, we discuss the utility of the proposed system.