A Comparison of Fractionated Reaction Time between Cerebral Palsied and Nonhandicapped Youths

This research studied the effects of cerebral palsy on the ability to plan and execute a one-handed aiming task. Simple reaction time (SRT) was fractionated into its premotor (PMT) and motor (MOT) components. Subjects were 20 youths, 10 with cerebral palsy and 10 nonhandicapped youths. The effect of accuracy demands on the planning and execution time was also studied by manipulating endpoint target size. Significant differences in PMT but not in MOT were obtained between groups, indicating that spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsied youths require more time to plan a simple aiming movement due to central processing limitations. Although manipulation of endpoint target size did not affect programming time for either group, the time to execute the movement increased significantly. This finding suggests that instead of incorporating the parameter of movement accuracy in the selected motor program, subjects adopted a feedback driven strategy to achieve greater endpoint accuracy.

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Postural Preparation to Making a Step: Is There a “Motor Program” for Postural Preparation?

Journal of Applied Biomechanics ◽

10.1123/jab.23.4.261 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 261-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Adriana M. Degani ◽

Alessander Danna-Dos-Santos ◽

Mark L. Latash

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Simple Reaction Time ◽

Center Of Pressure ◽

Motor Program ◽

Whole Body ◽

Single Motor ◽

Simple Reaction ◽

Specific Manner ◽

Young Subjects ◽

Straight Ahead

We tested the hypothesis that a sequence of mechanical events occurs preceding a step that scales in time and magnitude as a whole in a task-specific manner, and is a reflection of a “motor program.” Young subjects made a step under three speed instructions and four tasks: stepping straight ahead, down a stair, up a stair, and over an obstacle. Larger center-of-pressure (COP) and force adjustments in the anteriorposterior direction and smaller COP and force adjustments in the mediolateral direction were seen during stepping forward and down a stair, as compared with the tasks of stepping up a stair and over an obstacle. These differences were accentuated during stepping under the simple reaction time instruction. These results speak against the hypothesis of a single motor program that would underlie postural preparation to stepping. They are more compatible with the reference configuration hypothesis of whole-body actions.

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Analysis of Processing Demands in Partial Report

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1977.44.3.847 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 847-856

Author(s):

Jon S. Matthew ◽

James R. Antes

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Simple Reaction Time ◽

Mutual Interference ◽

Partial Report ◽

Processing Capacity ◽

Simple Reaction ◽

Central Processing ◽

Probe Task ◽

Processing Demands ◽

Probe Reaction Time

Processing demands in the Sperling (1960) whole- and partial-report tasks were evaluated with the simple reaction-time probe procedure. 6 subjects responded to a buzzer probe presented at various temporal locations in the processing interval associated with performance in whole or partial report. The results showed relative increases in processing demands in partial report in the temporal vicinity (± 200 msec.) of the delivery of the auditory indicator cue as indicated by increases in probe reaction-time. Furthermore, reacting to the probe during this interval interfered with partial-report performance. This mutual interference was not detected when whole report was performed concurrently with the probe task. The results were interpreted in terms of an analysis of central processing capacity.

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Practice and Serial Reaction Time of Adolescents with Autism

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1998.86.2.403 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 86 (2) ◽

pp. 403-410 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Nobuyuki Inui ◽

Kan-Ichiro Suzuki

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Simple Reaction Time ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Motor Program ◽

The Other ◽

Light Stimulation ◽

Practice Analysis ◽

Individual Variations ◽

Adolescents With Autism ◽

Serial Reaction

This study examined effects of practice on timing of serial reactions by 7 adolescents diagnosed with autism by using a task requiring they track a series of timed lights. The adolescents showed significantly slower and more variable mean simple reaction time than 10 normal control subjects of the same age. On a task of tracking a serial light stimulation for 4 days, on the other hand, significant effects of practice on timing of serial reactions were observed for mean serial reaction times of them. In addition, from individual variations in reaction times and anticipatory reaction times, four of seven subjects with autism showed significant effects of practice. Analysis suggested that these autistic adolescents may be chunlung together the whole series of responses and are unable to coordinate the timing of individual responses with individual sumuli. Our data indicate that at least some adolescents with autism are able to form and utilise a motor program with practice.

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Relationship between Extremities in Motor Performance

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.2001.92.1.11 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 92 (1) ◽

pp. 11-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Kari J. Kauranen ◽

Heikki V. Vanharanta

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Simple Reaction Time ◽

Motor Performance ◽

Lower Extremities ◽

Performance Tests ◽

Age Group ◽

Movement Accuracy ◽

Upper And Lower Extremities ◽

Hands And Feet ◽

The Relationship

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the extremities in different aspects of motor performance, including simple reaction time, choice reaction time, speed of movement, tapping speed, and coordination, i.e., speed of movement/accuracy. 186 healthy randomly selected right-handed subjects (93 men, 93 women; aged 21–70 years) were measured on a test battery of five tests for both hands and feet. Correlations between the extremities in motor performance were highest between hands ( r = .71–.80, p<.001) or between feet ( r = .57–.88, p<.001) depending on the complexity of response for all subjects. These relations remained at almost the same magnitude even when age was eliminated. Correlations between the upper and lower extremities were lower ( r = .40–.62). Correlations between extremities were lower for one age group (21–30 years) than for all subjects (21–70 years). These results showed that the motor performance for the hands is not a very good indicator of the motor performance of the lower extremities, especially in a homogeneous age group, and it seems that the lower extremities should be studied with specific motor performance tests.

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Psychological testing in depressive illness 1. Psychomotor performance

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291700045943 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 470-473 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Gill ◽

D. J. De L. Horne

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Psychomotor Performance ◽

Simple Reaction Time ◽

Continuum Model ◽

Psychological Testing ◽

Depressive Illness ◽

Simple Reaction ◽

Central Processing ◽

The Common ◽

Processing Deficit

SYSNOPSISThis paper presents findings from a controlled investigation of psychomotor performance in depression and mania to test Court's (1968) continuum model. This model proposes that, unlike the common bipolar view of depression and mania, there is a continuum ranging from normal, through depression, to mania. Simple reaction time measures did not confirm this hypothesis. However, results of more complex psychomotor performance did provide some confirmation, and, also, provided evidence of a ‘central processing’ deficit in both manic and depressed subjects.

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Simple Reaction Time Test

PsycTESTS Dataset ◽

10.1037/t05446-000 ◽

2012 ◽

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Simple Reaction Time ◽

Simple Reaction ◽

Time Test ◽

Reaction Time Test

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Manipulations of the Response-Stimulus Intervals as a Factor Inducing Controlled Amount of Reaction Time Intra-Individual Variability

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11050669 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 669

Author(s):

Paweł Krukow ◽

Małgorzata Plechawska-Wójcik ◽

Arkadiusz Podkowiński

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Simple Reaction Time ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Reaction Time Task ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Simple Reaction Time Task ◽

Stimulus Interval ◽

Simple Reaction ◽

Response Stimulus

Aggrandized fluctuations in the series of reaction times (RTs) are a very sensitive marker of neurocognitive disorders present in neuropsychiatric populations, pathological ageing and in patients with acquired brain injury. Even though it was documented that processing inconsistency founds a background of higher-order cognitive functions disturbances, there is a vast heterogeneity regarding types of task used to compute RT-related variability, which impedes determining the relationship between elementary and more complex cognitive processes. Considering the above, our goal was to develop a relatively new assessment method based on a simple reaction time paradigm, conducive to eliciting a controlled range of intra-individual variability. It was hypothesized that performance variability might be induced by manipulation of response-stimulus interval’s length and regularity. In order to verify this hypothesis, a group of 107 healthy students was tested using a series of digitalized tasks and their results were analyzed using parametric and ex-Gaussian statistics of RTs distributional markers. In general, these analyses proved that intra-individual variability might be evoked by a given type of response-stimulus interval manipulation even when it is applied to the simple reaction time task. Collected outcomes were discussed with reference to neuroscientific concepts of attentional resources and functional neural networks.

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