reaction time Flashcards
each person must use?
their dominant hand = If you are right-handed then
your dominant hand is your right hand.
in this test you will work with a partner- person 1 and person 2
Person 1 sits down on the chair, with?
good upright posture
Person 1 puts the forearm of their dominant arm
across the table with their hand overhanging
the edge
person 2 drops
ruler vertically with 0cm between the person’s thumb and first finger. they prepare to catch it
once the ruler drops person 1
catches the ruler with their thumb and first finger as quickly as possible when it drops.
once person 1 catches the ruler
Record the number on the ruler that is level with the top of person 1’s thumb
once you record what do you do?
repeat several times
repeat the same thing with the other person catching it and record results on table.
what do you use to convert your ruler measurements into reaction times?
Use a conversion table
what type of ruler is used?
metre ruler
what are some independent variables?
-age
-the effect of listening to music
-caffeine
-taking drugs or medicine
-gender
-the amount of practice
The lowest reaction time equates to
the person with the fastest reaction time
control variables to ensure valid results?
-drop ruler from same height
-let ruler drop with no force
-same weight/size of ruler
-thumb same distance from ruler each time
-use same hand
why may a computer reaction time increase validity?
-you may be able to tell when a person will drop the ruler
-measurement of time is more accurate than the distance ruler drops
how can you improve the experiment?
-increase number of repeats and calculate mean to reduce random error
-use more people to increase sample size
-use computer-based reaction test
range of results
the range can be used as a measure of uncertainty
