Responding to stimuli Flashcards
What is reaction time
The time from the onset of the stimulus to the onset of the response
What are the 2 types of reaction time
- Simple reaction time
- Choice reaction time
Describe simple reaction time
Where there is one stimulus and one response, so the reaction time will be very short
Decribe Choice reaction time
Where there are serveral stimuli and several possible responses so reaction time will be slower
What is movement time
The time from the onset of movement to completion of the task
What is the response time
Reaction time plus movement time. Time taken from the onset of the stimulus to completion of the task
What does Hick’s law describe
The impact of choice reaction time on performance
What does Hick’s law state
States that as the number of choices increases so does the time it takes to react.
List all 9 strategies that can be used to improve response time
1) Practice
2) selective attention
3) Mental rehearsal
4) Experience
5) Improve fitness levels
6) Warm up
7) Gain optimum arousal
8) Detect cues early
9) Try anticipation
Describe how practice can improve response time
The more you respond to a stimulus, the faster your reactions become
Describe how selective attention can improve response time
If you focus and concentrate just on the relevant information, your reactions will be quicker
Describe how mental rehearsal can improve response time
Going over performance in your mind. Muscles involved in the movement will be stimulated - almost as good as physical practice
Describe how experience can improve response time
Actually participating in the activity gives you valuable insight and awarness of stimuli being presented, meaning you can detect them more quickly and respond faster
Describe how improve fitness levels can improve response time
The fitter you are the quicker you can respond
Describe how gaining optimal arousal can improve response time
If you are at peak of your arousal, you will respond quicker
Describe how detecting cues early can improve response time
Analyse your oponents play, will be able to anticipate what they will do next
Describe how anticipation can improve response time
Anticipation is predicting that a moment will happen before it occurs
What are the 2 types of anticipation
Temporal and spatial
Describe temporal anticipation
Predicting when the action will be performed
Describe spatial anticipation
Prediction what action is going to be performed and where
What will happen if the performer anticipates correctly
Their response time will be very quick and they will have more time to perform the skill
What will happen if the performer anticipates incorrectly
The response time will increase vastly and the psychological refractory period may occur
Describe single channel hypothesis
We can detect many stimuli at once, but we can only process one piece of information at a time and any further stimuli must wait as a ‘bottlneck’ occurs
What does single channel hypothesis link to
Hick’s law as the more stimuli present the slower the reaction time will be
What is it called when a performer recieves 2 or more stimuli in quick succession for processing and they freeze
Psychological refractory period
What does the psychological refractory period cause
A delay in processing which causes our reaction time to increase
How could the psychological refractory period be used to performers advantage
Use it to intentionally slow down oponents. Dummy stimulus causes performer to freeze so you can get past
