The Determinants of Reaction Times

The Determinants of Reaction Times PDF Author: Scott Theodore Janssen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 92

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Book Description
The central nervous system has the ability to generate very rapid 'temporally urgent' sensory motor reactions in response to stimuli under certain conditions. For example, temporally urgent reactions have been shown to occur during control of protective responses, such as regaining balance after a perturbation or reacting rapidly to a startling auditory stimulus. Two different mechanisms have been proposed to the observation of rapid reaction times; 1) different (shorter) pathway for those reactions with very rapid reactions and/or 2) increased synaptic excitability to reduce the time required at each site of synaptic convergence leading to a reduction in total reaction time. The overarching hypothesis of this work is that the occurrence of rapid reactions is mediated by the facilitation of pathways through stimulus driven and/or central facilitation leading to significant reduction in reaction time. The current work is delimited to a focus on the determinants of reaction time in response to auditory stimuli. Two studies were conducted to determine the relationship between stimulus intensity and behavioural and neurological responses. Study one focused on influence of stimulus intensity on simple and choice reaction time performance. Choice reaction time is distinguished by need for higher level cortical processing for decision making. Stimulus induced changes in choice reaction time would be most likely accounted for by pathway facilitation. Results from study one showed an overall decrease in choice reaction time to an increase in stimulus intensity with no difference in errors suggesting an increase in stimulus intensity results in increase synaptic facilitation. Study two focused on electrophysiological events associated with auditory stimuli. It was proposed that evidence of more rapid electrophysiological events and increased amplitude would support a model of synaptic facilitation with increases in auditory stimulus intensity. Results from study two showed decreased peak latencies with high stimulus amplitudes as well as increased cortical activity prior to motor responses further suggesting reductions in reaction time to increases in stimulus intensity are a result of increased synaptic facilitation. Overall this thesis is focussed on developing a further understanding of stimulus intensity as a determinant of reaction time so that in the future one may better understand the factors that contribute to slowing in older adults and those with neurological impairment.

The Determinants of Reaction Times

The Determinants of Reaction Times PDF Author: Scott Theodore Janssen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 92

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Book Description
The central nervous system has the ability to generate very rapid 'temporally urgent' sensory motor reactions in response to stimuli under certain conditions. For example, temporally urgent reactions have been shown to occur during control of protective responses, such as regaining balance after a perturbation or reacting rapidly to a startling auditory stimulus. Two different mechanisms have been proposed to the observation of rapid reaction times; 1) different (shorter) pathway for those reactions with very rapid reactions and/or 2) increased synaptic excitability to reduce the time required at each site of synaptic convergence leading to a reduction in total reaction time. The overarching hypothesis of this work is that the occurrence of rapid reactions is mediated by the facilitation of pathways through stimulus driven and/or central facilitation leading to significant reduction in reaction time. The current work is delimited to a focus on the determinants of reaction time in response to auditory stimuli. Two studies were conducted to determine the relationship between stimulus intensity and behavioural and neurological responses. Study one focused on influence of stimulus intensity on simple and choice reaction time performance. Choice reaction time is distinguished by need for higher level cortical processing for decision making. Stimulus induced changes in choice reaction time would be most likely accounted for by pathway facilitation. Results from study one showed an overall decrease in choice reaction time to an increase in stimulus intensity with no difference in errors suggesting an increase in stimulus intensity results in increase synaptic facilitation. Study two focused on electrophysiological events associated with auditory stimuli. It was proposed that evidence of more rapid electrophysiological events and increased amplitude would support a model of synaptic facilitation with increases in auditory stimulus intensity. Results from study two showed decreased peak latencies with high stimulus amplitudes as well as increased cortical activity prior to motor responses further suggesting reductions in reaction time to increases in stimulus intensity are a result of increased synaptic facilitation. Overall this thesis is focussed on developing a further understanding of stimulus intensity as a determinant of reaction time so that in the future one may better understand the factors that contribute to slowing in older adults and those with neurological impairment.

Reaction Times

Reaction Times PDF Author: W. T. Welford
Publisher: Stanford University
ISBN: 9780127428802
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description


Reaction Time to Retinal Stimulation

Reaction Time to Retinal Stimulation PDF Author: Albert Theodor Poffenberger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Reaction time
Languages : en
Pages : 94

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Exploring Factors that Contribute to Between-subject Variability of Reaction Time

Exploring Factors that Contribute to Between-subject Variability of Reaction Time PDF Author: Brian Tan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Kinesiology
Languages : en
Pages : 78

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Book Description
For well over a century reaction time has provided researchers with a method to quantify information processing speed. Defined as the interval of time between the presentation of a stimulus to the onset of a response, reaction time as a proxy of the speed of central nervous system events has allowed researchers to reveal underlying mechanisms of information processing control. The differences in reaction time between individuals is an interesting phenomenon that is sometimes disregarded as biological noise but could reveal further insight into the determinants of central nervous system speed of processing. The primary aim of this work was to explore the factors that contribute to such between-subject variability in young health adults to determine if differences were reflective of trait differences or simply random fluctuations across repeated testing and task conditions. Specifically, this study investigated the performance of visual and tactile reaction time tasks over two sessions to capture the day to day stability and task generalizability of reaction time. Genetic samples and nerve conduction velocity were also collected to speculate on potential biological markers that may relate to reaction time performance. ICC results demonstrated that reaction time of individuals were more closely related between days than between individuals for a range of tasks that differed in modality (visual and tactile) and difficulty levels (simple and choice). Interestingly, reaction time performance was found to have a stronger association between tasks of varying difficulty but not across task modality. Furthermore, while this study relied heavily on central tendency it was also found that analyzing the distribution of reaction times also revealed important within subject variability. DNA results found no association between APOE or COMT allele and reaction time performance. Ulnar nerve conduction velocity at the elbow also was not associated with reaction time. The results from this thesis support the importance of stable, person-specific traits in determining reaction time while also emphasizing the potential impact of state factors. Alternative expressions of reaction time, such as variability and distribution, are also likely to be important to understanding between subject differences that is not revealed by traditional central tendency measures. Outcomes from this work will help to inform and contribute in supporting the use of reaction time as a stable predictor of central nervous system processing speed to indicate declining or improving performance. Potentially, tracking reaction time performance may be important in identifying potential risk of injury related to decreased speed of processing or as a marker of improved performance in training.

Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning

Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning PDF Author: Norbert M. Seel
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441914277
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 3643

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Book Description
Over the past century, educational psychologists and researchers have posited many theories to explain how individuals learn, i.e. how they acquire, organize and deploy knowledge and skills. The 20th century can be considered the century of psychology on learning and related fields of interest (such as motivation, cognition, metacognition etc.) and it is fascinating to see the various mainstreams of learning, remembered and forgotten over the 20th century and note that basic assumptions of early theories survived several paradigm shifts of psychology and epistemology. Beyond folk psychology and its naïve theories of learning, psychological learning theories can be grouped into some basic categories, such as behaviorist learning theories, connectionist learning theories, cognitive learning theories, constructivist learning theories, and social learning theories. Learning theories are not limited to psychology and related fields of interest but rather we can find the topic of learning in various disciplines, such as philosophy and epistemology, education, information science, biology, and – as a result of the emergence of computer technologies – especially also in the field of computer sciences and artificial intelligence. As a consequence, machine learning struck a chord in the 1980s and became an important field of the learning sciences in general. As the learning sciences became more specialized and complex, the various fields of interest were widely spread and separated from each other; as a consequence, even presently, there is no comprehensive overview of the sciences of learning or the central theoretical concepts and vocabulary on which researchers rely. The Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning provides an up-to-date, broad and authoritative coverage of the specific terms mostly used in the sciences of learning and its related fields, including relevant areas of instruction, pedagogy, cognitive sciences, and especially machine learning and knowledge engineering. This modern compendium will be an indispensable source of information for scientists, educators, engineers, and technical staff active in all fields of learning. More specifically, the Encyclopedia provides fast access to the most relevant theoretical terms provides up-to-date, broad and authoritative coverage of the most important theories within the various fields of the learning sciences and adjacent sciences and communication technologies; supplies clear and precise explanations of the theoretical terms, cross-references to related entries and up-to-date references to important research and publications. The Encyclopedia also contains biographical entries of individuals who have substantially contributed to the sciences of learning; the entries are written by a distinguished panel of researchers in the various fields of the learning sciences.

HCI Models, Theories, and Frameworks

HCI Models, Theories, and Frameworks PDF Author: John M. Carroll
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080491413
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 579

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Book Description
HCI Models, Theories, and Frameworks provides a thorough pedagological survey of the science of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). HCI spans many disciplines and professions, including anthropology, cognitive psychology, computer graphics, graphical design, human factors engineering, interaction design, sociology, and software engineering. While many books and courses now address HCI technology and application areas, none has addressed HCI’s multidisciplinary foundations with much scope or depth. This text fills a huge void in the university education and training of HCI students as well as in the lifelong learning and professional development of HCI practitioners. Contributors are leading researchers in the field of HCI. If you teach a second course in HCI, you should consider this book. This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the HCI concepts and methods in use today, presenting enough comparative detail to make primary sources more accessible. Chapters are formatted to facilitate comparisons among the various HCI models. Each chapter focuses on a different level of scientific analysis or approach, but all in an identical format, facilitating comparison and contrast of the various HCI models. Each approach is described in terms of its roots, motivation, and type of HCI problems it typically addresses. The approach is then compared with its nearest neighbors, illustrated in a paradigmatic application, and analyzed in terms of its future. This book is essential reading for professionals, educators, and students in HCI who want to gain a better understanding of the theoretical bases of HCI, and who will make use of a good background, refresher, reference to the field and/or index to the literature. Contributors are leading researchers in the field of Human-Comptuter Interaction Fills a major gap in current literature about the rich scientific foundations of HCI Provides a thorough pedogological survey of the science of HCI

Occupational Physiology

Occupational Physiology PDF Author: Allan Toomingas
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 143986697X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
In a clear and accessible presentation, Occupational Physiology focuses on important issues in the modern working world. Exploring major public health problems-such as musculoskeletal disorders and stress-this book explains connections between work, well-being, and health based on up-to-date research in the field. It provides useful methods for ris

Stimulus Information as a Determinant of Reaction Time

Stimulus Information as a Determinant of Reaction Time PDF Author: Ray Hyman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Reaction time
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description


Encyclopedia of Sleep

Encyclopedia of Sleep PDF Author:
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0123786118
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 2626

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Book Description
In a world of 24-hour media saturation, sleep has become an increasingly fraught enterprise. The award-winning four-volume Encyclopedia of Sleep, Four Volume Set is the largest reference, either online or in print, on the subject of sleep. Written to be useful for the novice and the established researcher and clinician, Topic areas will include sleep across the life cycle and in other species, sleep and women, sleep and the elderly, pediatric sleep, sleep deprivation and loss, sleep mechanisms, sleep physiology and pathophysiology, sleep disorders, neurobiology, chronobiology, pharmacology, and impact of other disorders on sleep. Recognizing the many fields that are connected to sleep science, the editorial team has been carefully chosen to do justice to this highly interdisciplinary field of study. The steady growth of researchers and clinicians in the sleep field attests to the continued interest in the scientific study of sleep and the management of patients with sleep disorders, and anyone involved in this exciting field should find this work to be an invaluable reference. 2013 PROSE Award winner for Multivolume Reference in Science from the Association of American Publishers Thoroughly interdisciplinary: looks at sleep throughout the life cycle, with exceptional coverage of basic sleep concepts, the physiology of sleep as well as sleep disorders of all descriptions Excellent coverage of sleep and special populations, covering the lifespan, as well as gender and ethnic differences, among others Chapters focusing on sleep disorders are grouped under the broad categories classified in the ICSD-2 for clear organization so that the reader can effectively access the steps involved in diagnosing and treating these disorders Online version is linked both within the encyclopedia (to related content) and to external sources (such as primary journal content) so that users have easy access to more detailed information if needed

Elements of Human Performance

Elements of Human Performance PDF Author: Andries F. Sanders
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1134796811
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 670

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Book Description
This book presents a review of research on reaction processes and attention as it has evolved over the last 40 years in the context of the information processing tradition in cognitive psychology. It is argued and demonstrated that issues of reaction processes and attention are closely interconnected. Their common conceptualization can be seen in terms of limited processing capacity on the one hand, and stage analysis on the other. This volume concludes that, at present, a stage analysis metaphor offers better prospects as a conceptual starting point; the limited capacity metaphor was strongly tied to the digital computers of the 60s. The emphasis of the book is on behavioral research, but summaries of related findings on evoked potentials and other psychophysiological variables are included as well. From this perspective, it may be of interest to neuropsychologists who want to learn about the present state of cognitive experimental paradigms. Elements of Human Performance also addresses the question of the relationship between basic research and applications in the said areas. This is particularly urgent in view of the now common notion that the results of many simplified laboratory tasks may be artifactual and of little applied value. A back-to-back research strategy is outlined to assess the validity of basic research results for real-life tasks.