This experiment aimed to determine the reaction time of the test participant and using the subtractive method identify the selection time and identification time of the participant. The experiments had one participant who participated in a total of 6 experiments; two experiments required a simple reaction with a single stimulus and 4 experiments that required a more complicated reaction.
Keywords
Subtractive method – the procedure of estimating the time it takes to perform various cognitive operations.
Simple reaction – this reaction time task has a single stimulus and requires only a single reaction
Choice reaction – In this reaction time task there are more than one stimulus and more than one response. Each stimulus has its own response.
Donders A B and C reactions – In this reaction time task there is more than one stimulus but only one stimulus is linked with a response.
Introduction
Donders A B and C reactions have been used to determine the time it takes to perform cognitive operations for quite some time now. In these experiments we aimed to use light and sound stimuli in the react time tasks to determine individual base time, Identification time and selection time. Using one female college student (23 years) and one person recording the different reaction times. The experiments took place over a period of two days, with the first experiment taking place on one afternoon and the next 5 experiments a week later in the afternoon again.
2. Methods
2.2 Apparatus and materials
One pen and paper to record reaction times, one Reaction task machine which came equipped with headphones for sound stimuli, a screen for visual stimuli and a panel of buttons colored red, yellow and green for responses.
2.3 Procedure
Pilot Test
The participant stood on the reaction task side of the machine and put on the headphones after having been already instructed to press the red button when they heard both sound and visual stimulus. The observer then set the