Lecture 18 - Decision Making

Question 1

What are the 3 stages of information processing?

Answer 1

1. Stimulus identification
2. Response selection
3. Response programming

Question 2

What is the 1st step of information processing? Explain.

Answer 2

Stimulus indentification

involves detection and processing of sensory information

Question 3

What is the 2nd step of information processing? Explain.

Answer 3

Response selection

Selecting motor responses givent the goal of the task and the nature of the environment

Question 4

What is the 3rd step of information processing? Explain.

Answer 4

Response programming

preparing the motor system to generate the desired response

Question 5

What is reaction time (RT)? How is it measured?

Answer 5

A measure of processing speed

the difference in time between stimulus presentation and the initiation of the motor response

Question 6

What is movement time (MT)?

Answer 6

time elapsed from end of reaction time to the completion of movement

Question 7

What is response time?

Answer 7

time eleapsed between stimulus presentation and end of movement (RT + MT)

Question 8

What are 3 factors that affect the speed of motor decisions?

Answer 8

1. # of response choices
2. stimuluse response (S-R) compatibility
3. anticipation

Question 9

What is simple reaction time?

Answer 9

Time interval between the presentation of a known stimulus and the motor response

Question 10

What is an example of simple reaction time?

Answer 10

Starting gun of a race, Ready, Set, Go

Stimulus is known so you are prepared in advance

Question 11

What stage of information processing dominates simple RT?

Answer 11

Stimulus identification
(Response selection and response prgramming are already pre-planned)

Question 12

What is choice reaction time?

Answer 12

time interval between the presentation of one of several possible stimuli and the beginning of one of several potential motor responses

Question 13

What is a scenario where we would see choice reaction time?

Answer 13

Driving and an animal starts running across the road

Question 14

What stage(s) of information processing dominates choice RT decisions?

Answer 14

All 3 stages

Question 15

What is needed for a choice RT decision?

Answer 15

Time to detect and identify stimulus, then select plan and initiate motor response

Question 16

How choice RTs or simple RTs faster?

Answer 16

Simpe RTs

Question 17

What is hicks law?

Answer 17

the relation between # of choices and RT can be described by RT = a(log(base 2)(n))+ b

n: # of S-R alternatives (choices)
a: increase in RT when # of S-R alternatives is doubled
b: expected RT when no choice is required (y-intercept)

Question 18

What are types of S-R compatibility?

Answer 18

• spatial compatibility (burners dials alignbing with where burnings are located, button for left is on left side)
• movement compatibility

Question 19

How can we test S-R compatibility?

Answer 19

Simon task

Question 20

What is movement compatibility?

Answer 20

movement of displays and controls relative to the response of the system being displayed or controlled

ie. window controls in a car often align with the location and motion of teh window

Question 21

What are the different types of anticipation?

Answer 21

• temporal (waiting for light to turn green)
• spatial (outfielders waiting to see where baseball will go)
• spatial- tempora (football - when and where will it land)