3.4 Reaction Time And Decision Making Flashcards
Reaction time
Reaction time is the amount of time between a stimulus and the first movement initiated in response to it. Refers to the athletes ability to process information via the nervous system and react.
It is the time it takes for the brain to receive information from the sense process the information formulate a response transmit the response to the motor units and for the muscles to contract
Movement time
Time taken to complete task once initiated
Begins when the body has actually started reacting and finished when the movement of the body completes the task
Response Time
Response time = reaction time + movement time
Time from initial stimulus to completion of the task
Importance of Reaction Time
Ball sports, athletes have extra time to monitor the movements of other players or the flight of the ball before initiating and action
Can initiate movements earlier
Fast reaction can equate to a faster response time
Very important in open compared to closed skills
Types of Reaction Time
Simple and Choice
Simple reaction time
Simple reaction time is when there is only one stimulus to react to an only one correct response
Choice Reaction time
The interval of time that elapses between the presentation of one of several possible stimuli and the beginning of one of the several possible responses.
- The performer must first identify the stimulus an then chose a response.
- Performer will go through stages of detection, decision and response organisation.
Factors influencing Reaction Time
- Hicks Law
- Application – increase number of stimulus alternatives you can delay his or her processing time (reaction time.
- Age
- Gender
- Intensity of stimulus
- Probability of stimulus occurring
- Presence of absence of warning signals
- Previous experience
Reducing Reaction time
Practice and the effect on choice reaction time.
- A highly practiced performer can overcome a lot of things including disadvantage of low stimulus response compatibility.
- The amount and nature of the practice will both effect
Nature of practice is important as practice with the same stimulus response combinations increases, that is the same stimulus always leads to the same response.
- Choice reaction becomes faster.
- This is seen in sporting situations where a performer can consistently produce the same response to the same stimuli on repeated occasions
Anticipation
- Refers to the process by which a performer prepares to initiate a particular response before the appearance of the appropriate signal.
- The ability to predict future events based on early signals or past experience relies on information form
Is the only way to reduce reaction time.
- Can anticipate if you can recognise traits in opponents responses that help you predict their next move.
- Video analysis has become such a big part of elite
Spatial or Event anticipation
Predicting what will happen in the environment. Anticipating a ball going to the right side of the goal.
•This will allow the player to organise a response in advance so they are able to initiate a response more quickly.
Temporal anticipation
•Involves predicting when an environmental event will occur, such as anticipation when the umpire is going to drop the ball in a netball toss
Benefits of anticipation
Either temporal or spatial anticipation can provide an athlete with a strong advantage it the performance of many skills.
- If they can anticipate both that is even better.
- AFL ruckman can predict what the opponents play is going to be (spatial) and the moment in time this play will
Disadvantages of anticipation
e primary disadvantage is that sometimes the anticipate event will not occur or it occurs at a different time then you expected, therefor delaying your response.
Studies indicate it takes up to .4 seconds to halt the original action selection after which an athlete must then organise and initiate a correct movement.
- Selling candy…
- Baulking…
- Dummy…
•All put defenders out of correct
