EXPRESS: Effects of a Neutral Warning Signal on Spatial Two-Choice Reactions

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110376
Author(s):  
Tianfang Han ◽  
Robert Proctor
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Warning Signal ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Response Criterion ◽  
Processing Efficiency ◽  
Warning Tone ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Speed Accuracy

Posner et al. (1973) reported that, at short fixed foreperiods, a neutral warning tone reduced reaction times (RTs) in a visual two-choice task while increasing error rates for both spatially compatible and incompatible stimulus-response mappings. Consequently, they concluded that alertness induced by the warning does not affect the efficiency of information processing but the setting of a response criterion. We conducted two experiments to determine the conditions under which the tradeoff occurs. In Experiment 1, participants performed the same two-choice task as in Posner et al.’s study without RT feedback. Results showed that the warning tone speeded responses with no evidence of speed/accuracy tradeoff. In Experiment 2, RT feedback was provided after each response, and a speed/accuracy trade off was found for the 50-ms foreperiod. However, better information-processing efficiency was evident for the 200-ms foreperiod. We conclude that the foreperiod effect of a 50-ms foreperiod is a result of response-criterion adjustment and that providing trial-level RT feedback is critical for replicating this pattern. On the other hand, fixed foreperiods of 200-ms or longer benefit both speed and accuracy, implying a more controlled preparation component that improves response efficiency.

Selective Effects of Physical Exercise on Choice Reaction Processes

1998 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Arcelin ◽  
Didier Delignieres ◽  
Jeanick Brisswalter
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Aerobic Power ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Bicycle Ergometer ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Time Uncertainty ◽  
Reaction Processes ◽  
Processing Mechanisms

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of an exercise of moderate intensity (60% of maximal aerobic power) on specific information-processing mechanisms. 22 students completed 3 10-min. exercise bouts on a bicycle ergometer. Concomitantly, participants performed six manual choice-reaction tasks manipulating task variables (Signal Intensity, Stimulus–Response Compatibility, and Time Uncertainty) on two levels. Reaction tests, randomly ordered, were administered at rest and during exercise. A significant underadditive interaction between Time Uncertainty and exercise was found for the highest quartiles of the distribution of reaction times. No other interaction effects were obtained for the other variables. These results reasonably support that moderate aerobic exercise showed selective rather than general influences on information processing.

scholarly journals A new foreperiod effect on single-trial phase coherence. Part I: existence and relevance

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joaquin Rapela ◽  
Marissa Westerfield ◽  
Jeanne Townsend ◽  
Scott Makeig
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Times ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Warning Signal ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Phase Coherence ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Single Trial ◽  
Foreperiod Duration ◽  
Trial Basis ◽  
Trial Phase

AbstractExpecting events in time leads to more efficient behavior. A remarkable early finding in the study of temporal expectancy is the foreperiod effect on reaction times; i.e., the fact that the time period between a warning signal and an impendent stimuli, to which subjects are instructed to respond as quickly as possible, influences reaction times. Recently it has been shown that the phase of oscillatory activity preceding stimulus presentation is related to behavior. Here we connect both of these findings by reporting a novel foreperiod effect on the inter-trial phase coherence triggered by a stimulus to which subjects do not respond. Until now, inter-trial phase coherence has been used to describe a regularity in the phases of groups of trials. We propose a single-trial measure of inter-trial phase coherence and prove its soundness. Equipped with this measure, and using a multivariate decoding method, we demonstrate that the foreperiod duration modulates single-trial phase coherence. In principle, this modulation could be an artifact due to the decoding method used to detect it. We show that this is not the case, since the modulation can also be observed with a very simple averaging method. Although real, the single-trial modulation of inter-trial phase coherence by the foreperiod duration could just reflect a nuisance in our data. We argue against this possibility by showing that the strength of the modulation correlates with subjects’ behavioral measures, both error rates and mean-reaction times. We anticipate that the new foreperiod effect on inter-trial phase coherence, and the decoding method used here to detect it, will be important tools to understand cognition at the single-trial level. In Part II of this manuscript, we support this claim, by showing that attention modulates the strength of the new foreperiod effect in a trial-by-trial basis.

An Information Processing Approach to the Problem of Medication Noncompliance among Older Adults

1988 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Annette Strawbridge
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Specific Question ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Medication Noncompliance ◽  
Mental Operations ◽  
Information Processing Approach

A preliminary experiment was conducted to investigate a cognitive processing explanation for prescription drug noncompliance among older adults. The experimental construct tested was that the dynamic underlying the misinterpretation of many medicine directives is directly related to the number of mental operations that each format requires in order to answer a specific question about dosage information. Reaction times and error rates were found to follow a pattern of results which supports the hypotheses for both older and younger adults. Increasing the number of mental operations was found to be most detrimental to the performance of adults age 75 years and older.

The Role of Feedback in Learning Spatially Incompatible Choice Reaction Tasks: Does it Have one?

1993 ◽  
Vol 37 (19) ◽  
pp. 1320-1324
Author(s):  
Addie Dutta ◽  
Robert W. Proctor
Keyword(s):  
Compatibility Effect ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Response Compatibility ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Response Deadline ◽  
Extended Practice ◽  
Stimulus Response Compatibility ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Speed Accuracy

Stimulus-response compatibility effects have been shown to persist even after extended practice. In the present study, two experiments were conducted to see if the effects persist when knowledge of results that allows subjects to set performance goals is provided. In the first experiment, summary feedback about mean accuracy and mean reaction time was provided after each block of 40 trials of practice in a two-choice spatial compatibility task. Subjects practiced the task for 2,400 trials, yet the compatibility effect was not eliminated. Compared to previous experiments, reaction times were faster overall, but the degree of change was the same for both compatible and incompatible assignments. In the second experiment, a response deadline was imposed on each trial. If the subject did not respond within the time limit, which was reduced as the experiment progressed, auditory feedback was presented. Summary feedback was also presented as in Experiment 1. Again, 2,400 trials of practice reduced but did not eliminate the compatibility effect. The greater reduction in the difference in reaction times for compatible and incompatible assignments, relative to other experiments, could be attributed to speed-accuracy tradeoff. The results indicate that the persistence of stimulus-response compatibility effects with extended practice is not due to poorer motivation to perform with the incompatible assignment. The results suggest that training will be insufficient to overcome difficulties in performance resulting from spatially incompatible assignments.

Specificity of basic information processing and inhibitory control in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 617-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Salum ◽  
J. Sergeant ◽  
E. Sonuga-Barke ◽  
J. Vandekerckhove ◽  
A. Gadelha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Basic Information ◽  
Processing Efficiency ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Oppositional Defiant ◽  
Co Morbidity ◽  
Speed Accuracy

BackgroundBoth inhibitory-based executive functioning (IB-EF) and basic information processing (BIP) deficits are found in clinic-referred attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) samples. However, it remains to be determined whether: (1) such deficits occur in non-referred samples of ADHD; (2) they are specific to ADHD; (3) the co-morbidity between ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) has additive or interactive effects; and (4) IB-EF deficits are primary in ADHD or are due to BIP deficits.MethodWe assessed 704 subjects (age 6–12 years) from a non-referred sample using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) and classified them into five groups: typical developing controls (TDC; n = 378), Fear disorders (n = 90), Distress disorders (n = 57), ADHD (n = 100), ODD/CD (n = 40) and ADHD+ODD/CD (n = 39). We evaluated neurocognitive performance with a Two-Choice Reaction Time Task (2C-RT), a Conflict Control Task (CCT) and a Go/No-Go (GNG) task. We used a diffusion model (DM) to decompose BIP into processing efficiency, speed–accuracy trade-off and encoding/motor function along with variability parameters.ResultsPoorer processing efficiency was found to be specific to ADHD. Faster encoding/motor function differentiated ADHD from TDC and from fear/distress whereas a more cautious (not impulsive) response style differentiated ADHD from both TDC and ODD/CD. The co-morbidity between ADHD and ODD/CD reflected only additive effects. All ADHD-related IB-EF classical effects were fully moderated by deficits in BIP.ConclusionsOur findings challenge the IB-EF hypothesis for ADHD and underscore the importance of processing efficiency as the key specific mechanism for ADHD pathophysiology.

scholarly journals On the selection of endogenous and exogenous signals

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 190134
Author(s):  
C. R. McCormick ◽  
R. S. Redden ◽  
A. J. Hurst ◽  
R. M. Klein
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Times ◽  
Colour Change ◽  
Warning Signal ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Endogenous Change ◽  
Speed Accuracy ◽  
Intense Signal ◽  
Speed And Accuracy ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Auditory Warning

Alerting is one of the three components of attention which involves the eliciting and maintenance of arousal. A seminal study by Posner et al. (Posner MI, Klein R, Summers J, Buggie S. 1973 Mem. Cognit. 1 , 2–12 ( doi:10.3758/BF03198062 )) focused on how changing the interval between an alerting signal and a target would impact the speed and accuracy of responding. Participants indicated whether targets were presented on the left or right side of the fixation point. Auditory warning signals were played at various intervals prior to the target to alert participants and prepare them to make a response. Reaction times revealed a robust, U-shaped, preparation function. Importantly, a clear speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT) was observed. In the current experiment, we replicated the methodological components of this seminal study while implementing a novel auditory warning signal (Lawrence MA, Klein RM. 2013 J. Exp. Psychol. General 142 , 560 ( doi:10.1037/a0029023 )) that was either purely endogenous (change in quality without a change in intensity; analogous to isoluminant colour change in vision) or a combination of endogenous and exogenous (change in both quality and intensity). We expected to replicate the U-shaped preparation function and SAT observed by Posner and colleagues. Based on Lawrence and Klein's findings we also expected the SAT to be more robust with the intense signal in comparison to the isointense signal.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of reaction time to the magnitude of rewards reveals the cost-structure of time

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Steverson ◽  
Hui-Kuan Chung ◽  
Jan Zimmermann ◽  
Kenway Louie ◽  
Paul Glimcher
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Functional Form ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Drift Diffusion Model ◽  
Drift Diffusion ◽  
Algorithmic Framework ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Speed Accuracy

AbstractThe Drift-Diffusion Model (DDM) is the prevalent computational model of the speed-accuracy trade-off in decision making. The DDM provides an explanation of behavior by optimally balancing reaction times and error rates. However, when applied to value-based decision making, the DDM makes the stark prediction that reaction times depend only on the relative utility difference between the options and not on absolute utility magnitudes. This prediction runs counter to evidence that reaction times decrease with higher utility magnitude. Here, we ask if and how it could be optimal for reaction times to show this observed pattern. We study an algorithmic framework that balances the cost of delaying rewards against the utility of obtained rewards. We find that the functional form of the cost of delay plays a key role, with the empirically observed pattern becoming optimal under multiplicative discounting. We add to the empirical literature by testing whether utility magnitude affects reaction times using a novel methodology that does not rely on functional form assumptions for the subjects’ utilities. Our results advance the understanding of how and why reaction times are sensitive to the magnitude of rewards.

Neuroticism and Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff in Self-Paced Speeded Mental Addition and Comparison

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hagen C. Flehmig ◽  
Michael B. Steinborn ◽  
Karl Westhoff ◽  
Robert Langner
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Response Speed ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Processing Efficiency ◽  
Mental Addition ◽  
Speed Accuracy ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Accuracy Tradeoff

Previous research suggests a relationship between neuroticism (N) and the speed-accuracy tradeoff in speeded performance: High-N individuals were observed performing less efficiently than low-N individuals and compensatorily overemphasizing response speed at the expense of accuracy. This study examined N-related performance differences in the serial mental addition and comparison task (SMACT) in 99 individuals, comparing several performance measures (i.e., response speed, accuracy, and variability), retest reliability, and practice effects. N was negatively correlated with mean reaction time but positively correlated with error percentage, indicating that high-N individuals tended to be faster but less accurate in their performance than low-N individuals. The strengthening of the relationship after practice demonstrated the reliability of the findings. There was, however, no relationship between N and distractibility (assessed via measures of reaction time variability). Our main findings are in line with the processing efficiency theory, extending the relationship between N and working style to sustained self-paced speeded mental addition.

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