2.

2 Measuring Brain Function

Reaction Time & Movement Time
Vickers Chapter 3
Carter pp. 116-121

Objectives

Historically, understand how reaction time (RT),

movement time (MT) and total response time (TRT)

have been measured (1860 to today)

Know thresholds for visual, auditory and haptic RT

Understand Hicks Law (1952)
Understand relationship between neural impulse >

action potential (AP) > event related potential (ERP) >

and reaction time (RT)

Understand how movement time is measured in the

clinical setting (eg. multiple sclerosis)

Understand how the RT and MT function at the

Carter neural level

1880-1990
The Frac.onated Reac.on Time
Paradigm
(Mental Chronometry)
Precise measurement of reac/on /me
(RT), movement /me (MT) and total
response /me (TRT)
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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Reaction time (RT), movement time

(MT) and total response time (TRT)
Defined: The amount of time (measured in ms) to
plan, initiate and carry out a movement.

One of the oldest findings in psychology &

neurophysiology
Which do you think is fastest?
Visual RT
Auditory RT
Touch (haptic) RT
Average reaction time

Mean RT Differs for Vision, Hearing and

Touch (Nave Subjects)
Woodward (1911). Time relations of mental phenomena.
Elements of Physiological Psychology (Chapter 6).

Hirsch
Hankel
Donders
Von Wittich
Wundt
Exner
Auerbach
Von Kries
Mean RT

Optical
Stimulus
ms

Acoustic
Stimulus
ms

Touch
Stimulus
ms

200
225
188
194
175
150
191
193

149
151
180
182
128
136
122
120

182
155
154
130
188
128
146
117

189.5

146

150 ( now ~ 120 ms)

Conclusion: Visual RT is slower than either

Auditory RT or Touch RT

The Fractionated RT Paradigm

All research studies include
4 events (1-4)
1. A warning/ready signal is given
(eg. in sprints, the starter says
"On your marks" and "Set" (see
p. 49 Vickers). In psychology or
neural monitor based studies:
look at the centre dot.
2. Stimulus is presented. ( sprints gun fires; in psych/neural
studies - stimulus appears
(letter, color, word, etc)
3. Initiation of observeable
response and movement time.
In sprints,

6. Response ends

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

False Start in 100 m Sprint

Usain Bolt
2011 World Championships, Daegu, S. Korea

h>ps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cgVJP0RmR-Y

The Fractionated RT Paradigm

Reaction time defined (RT) neural/perceptual/cognitive
time from the onset of a
stimulus to the observable
action
1. There is a cognitive

delay (or latency) prior to

all movements.
2. Time needed to prepare,
select and initiate the
movement.

2. Movement time (MT) -

The Fractionated RT Paradigm

EMG (electromyography)
electrical current from
muscles

Electrodes pick up electrical

signals from activated
muscles
Muscles begin to fire prior
to observable action
(premotor versus motor
time)

EMG is not measured/or

reported in most psychology/
neuroscience studies. Why?

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Why Do Most Research Studies

Rarely Report MT?
n

n
n

Most research tasks require simple motor responses

(eg. key press, move a lever)
MT is usually very short
Participants are first trained so the motor learning
phase is complete

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Motor Learning
(skill acquisi/on)
Dened: a set of internal processes associated with
prac/ce or experience leading to rela/vely permanent
changes in the capability for motor skill (Schmidt & Lee,
2011)

Dis/nct from motor development, which looks at the

process of change over the lifespan - from birth to
death. Occurs naturally - without prac/ce

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Motor Control
(motor performance)
Dened: Basics of the motor skill have been learned; the goal is
one of control and mastery under all condi/ons.
Outcome is dened in terms of measurable performance - speed,
accuracy, technical perfec/on (dance, gymnas/cs), consistency, #
errors, etc
During research experiments it is assumed the person has
learned the basics movements required in the task, entered a
state of motor control.
In Kinesiology (and quiet eye studies)

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Reaction Time (RT)

Hicks Law (1952)
Reaction Time Defined: The amount of neural
processing time needed to plan, select and initiate a
movement
Hicks Law - The Reaction Time Law
There is a stable relationship between the number of
stimulus-response (S-R) options and choice reaction time.
As the number of S-R pairs increases, choice reaction
time increases in a linear fashion

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Hicks Law (1952)

Enduring Reaction Time Law
As the number of stimulus
response (S-R) alternatives
increases, RT increases linearly.
Y axis - RT measured in
milliseconds (1000 ms = 1 s)
X
axis
S - a cue in the environment/
signal to start or respond
R - a muscle group - finger,
fingers, hands, foot, body, etc
With
practice, RT can be reduced
to 100-120 ms for many tasks;
but no lower (eg. 100 m start)
Hardwired neural characteristic
of humans

Regression
line showing
linear
relationship

Number of S-R alternatives

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Reaction Time Exercise

It is important to feel the effects
of Hicks Law
Draw your own - 4 RT KEYS

On
Screen

J
D
K
F
Computer Keys

Thursday, October 2, 2014

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Simple Reaction Time

One stimulus and one response
n (1 Stimulus and 1 Motor Response)
n Task: Place your finger on any key
and as soon as you see the red bar
push the correct key down
n Very simple movement
n READY
n

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Simple RT - 1 stimuli & 1 response Place 1 finger on any key

Push key as soon as you see the stimulus

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Hicks Law - 1952 RT Law

n

Threshold of
visual RT =
180-200 ms
(without practice)
MT to press the
key does not
change - takes
about 50-70 ms
Majority of the time
is neural
processing time

Regression line
showing linear
relationship
Human RT cannot be faster than 100 ms - hardwired

Number of S-R alternatives

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Choice Reaction Time

The interval of time between the
presentation of one of several stimuli and
the beginning of one of several responses
Key understanding is that there is more
than one visual stimulus and more than
one set of muscles you have to organize

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Choice RT - 2 hands
Left finger on D or F and Right finger on J or K
Push key that is a match for location of light

J
D
K
F
Computer Keys

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2 Choice RT - 2 hands/fingers
Left finder on D or F and Right finger on J or K
Push key that is a match for location of light

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Hicks Law - Choice RT

n

RT doubles increases to
320-400 ms

MT to press the key

does not change that
much - still takes about
70-80 ms
Change due to cost of
decision making

Regression line
showing linear
relationship

Number of S-R alternatives

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4 Choice RT - 2 hands & 4 fingers

2 Left fingers on D or F and 2 Right fingers on J or K
Push key that is a match for location of light

J
D
K
F
Computer Keys

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4 Choice RT - 2 hands & 4 fingers

2 Left fingers on D or F and 2 Right fingers on J or K
Push key that is a match for location of light

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Hicks Law - Choice RT

n
n

RT = 400-500 ms
With 4 possible MTs
time to press the key
increase 70-90 ms
But most of the time
is taken by the
decision making/RT
phase
Now cross your
hands

Regression line
showing linear
relationship

25

Stimulus Incompatibility - Cross Your Hands

2 Left fingers on D or F and 2 Right fingers on J or K
Push key that is a match for location of light

J
D
K
F
Computer Keys

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S-R Compatibility - RT is faster for

compatible S-R pairs. Some S-R pairs are
awkward; naturally in conflict

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Hicks Law - Choice RT

n

RT = 700 +

Errors very high

MT to press the the

key increases to
70-100 ms

Reaches a plateau or
asymptote

RT is a mental
phenomenon, not a
motor one

Regression line
showing linear
relationship

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Reaction time can be improved

and depends on:
n
n
n

Amount of practice
Amount of optimal training/deliberate practice
Age - easier to learn new skills when young, but
not impossible
Anticipation -

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Recent Study of Reaction Time

n

Childrens RT?
n

n
n

Thursday, October 2, 2014

50+ but modestly

Slowing down is due

mostly to changes in RT
or MT?
n

30

Ages 20-29

RT typically declines at
age?
n

Lower than adults

Fastest RT?

Can be delayed with

exercise

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But What Exactly Is

Reaction Time (RT?)
Test your Reaction Time On-Line
http://getyourwebsitehere.com/jswb/
rttest01.html

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Measuring MT In the
Clinical Setting
The Nerve Conduction Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0uSpYd_Ics

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Nerve Conduction Measurement

Measuring the speed of movement time (MT)

The nerve conduction velocity

(NVC) test is performed to
evaluate nerve function.

It tests the speed impulses

travel through a nerve.

F-Wave measured - average

speed of transmission between

two points

The minimal F wave speed of

motor nerves is

Used to Diagnose:
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Multiple sclerosis
Diabetes
Many other diseases

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Nerve Conduction Measurement

Measuring the speed of Neural Transmission

Movement time (MT) is about

double the above values (50-64 for

upper limbs - additional times due
to motor cortex to spinal nerve)

90-112 ms for lower. Difficult to

lower this value - considered a
constant ~ 70-80 ms

For ex. If response time is 300 ms

(RT + MT = response time), then

gains must be achieved via the RT
component (better perception,
attention, decision making)

In adults, aged 15 and above, F

latency (speed) in simple motor

tasks does not differ due to gender
or age.

4
5

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Neural RT and MT
(Carter pp 120-121)

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NEXT
4.0 Movement and
Control

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Thursday, October 2, 2014