Simon effect

noun

The finding that reactions are usually faster and more accurate when the stimulus occurs in the same relative location as the response, even if the stimulus location is irrelevant to the task.

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Meanings

nounSimon effect (plural Simon effects)

plural Simon effects

  1. human sciencesThe finding that reactions are usually faster and more accurate when the stimulus occurs in the same relative location as the response, even if the stimulus location is irrelevant to the task.

    Studies by Ellen Bialystok at York University in Toronto revealed that bilingual speakers showed a reduced Simon effect compared to monolinguals.

    2019, Albert Costa, translated by John W. Schwieter, The Bilingual Brain, Penguin, published 2021, page 99

Origin

Named for J. R. Simon, who first published the effect in the late 1960s.

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Cite this entry
APA

Simon effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Simon%20effect

MLA

“Simon effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Simon%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Simon effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Simon%20effect.

Source: Simon effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.