scholarly journals Hüffmeier & Krumm (2018). No Myth far and wide: Relay Swimming is Faster than Individual Swimming and the Conclusion of Skorski et al. (2016) is Unfounded

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Hüffmeier ◽  
Stefan Krumm
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Stopping Rule ◽  
Time Estimate ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Time Correction ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Chance

Skorski, Extebarria, and Thompson (2016) aim at our article on relay swimmers (Hüffmeier, Krumm, Kanthak, & Hertel, 2012). We have shown that professional freestyle swimmers at relay positions 2 to 4 swam faster in the relay than in the individual competition if they had a high chance to win a relay medal. After applying a reaction-time correction that controls for different starting procedures in relay and individual competitions, Skorski et al. (2016) con-clude that swimmers in relays do not swim faster. At first sight, their results appear to show this very pattern. However, we argue that the authors’ findings and conclusion—that our find-ing is a myth—are not warranted. First, we have also controlled for quicker reaction times in the relay competition. Our correction has been based on the swimmers’ own reaction time da-ta rather than on a constant reaction time estimate and is, thus, more precise than theirs. Sec-ond, Skorski et al. treat data from international and national competitions equally although na-tional relay competitions are less attractive for the swimmers than national individual competi-tions. This difference likely biases their data towards slower relay times. Third, the authors se-lect a small and arbitrary sample without explicit power considerations or a clear stopping rule. Fourth, they unfavorably aggregate their data. We conclude that the reported results are most likely due to the methodological choices by Skorski et al. and do not invalidate our findings.

scholarly journals No Myth far and wide:

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Hüffmeier ◽  
Stefan Krumm
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Reaction Time Data ◽  
Stopping Rule ◽  
Time Estimate ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Time Correction ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Chance

Skorski, Extebarria, and Thompson (2016) aim at our article on relay swimmers (Hüffmeier, Krumm, Kanthak, & Hertel, 2012). We have shown that professional freestyle swimmers at relay positions 2 to 4 swam faster in the relay than in the individual competition if they had a high chance to win a relay medal. After applying a reaction-time correction that controls for different starting procedures in relay and individual competitions, Skorski et al. (2016) conclude that swimmers in relays do not swim faster. At first sight, their results appear to show this very pattern. However, we argue that the authors’ findings and conclusion—that our finding is a myth—are not warranted. First, we have also controlled for quicker reaction times in the relay competition. Our correction has been based on the swimmers’ own reaction time data rather than on a constant reaction time estimate and is, thus, more precise than theirs. Second, Skorski et al. treat data from international and national competitions equally although national relay competitions are less attractive for the swimmers than national individual competitions. This difference likely biases their data towards slower relay times. Third, the authors select a small and arbitrary sample without explicit power considerations or a clear stopping rule. Fourth, they unfavorably aggregate their data. We conclude that the reported results are most likely due to the methodological choices by Skorski et al. and do not invalidate our findings.

scholarly journals Human Reaction Times: Linking Individual and Collective Behaviour Through Physics Modeling

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Castro-Palacio ◽  
Pedro Fernández-de-Córdoba ◽  
J. M. Isidro ◽  
Sarira Sahu ◽  
Esperanza Navarro-Pardo
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Gaussian Function ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Reaction Time Data ◽  
Ideal Gas ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Physics Modeling ◽  
The Individual

An individual’s reaction time data to visual stimuli have usually been represented in Experimental Psychology by means of an ex-Gaussian function. In most previous works, researchers have mainly aimed at finding a meaning for the parameters of the ex-Gaussian function which are known to correlate with cognitive disorders. Based on the recent evidence of correlations between the reaction time series to visual stimuli produced by different individuals within a group, we go beyond and propose a Physics-inspired model to represent the reaction time data of a coetaneous group of individuals. In doing so, a Maxwell–Boltzmann-like distribution appeared, the same distribution as for the velocities of the molecules in an Ideal Gas model. We describe step by step the methodology we use to go from the individual reaction times to the distribution of the individuals response within the coetaneous group. In practical terms, by means of this model we also provide a simple entropy-based methodology for the classification of the individuals within the collective they belong to with no need for an external reference which can be applicable in diverse areas of social sciences.

scholarly journals Stereoscopic Visual Perceptual Learning in Seniors

Geriatrics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Sabine Erbes ◽  
Georg Michelson
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Cortical Plasticity ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Stereoscopic Vision ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Static Test ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Training Apparatus ◽  
The Individual

Background: We showed that seniors can improve their stereoscopic ability (stereoacuity) and corresponding reaction time with repetitive training and, furthermore, that these improvements through training are still present even after a longer period of time without training. Methods: Eleven seniors (average age: 85.90 years) trained twice a week for six weeks with dynamic stereoscopic perception training using a vision training apparatus (c-Digital Vision Trainer®). Stereoscopic training was performed in 12 training session (n = 3072) of visual tasks. The task was to identify and select one of four figures (stereoscopic stimuli) that was of a different disparity using a controller. The tests included a dynamic training (showing rotating balls) and a static test (showing plates without movement). Before and after training, the stereoacuity and the corresponding reaction times were identified with the static stereotest in order to determine the individual training success. The changes in respect to reaction time of stereoscopic stimuli with decreasing disparity were calculated. Results: After 6 weeks of training, reaction time improved in the median from 936 arcsec to 511 arcsec. Stereoscopic vision improved from 138 arcsec to 69 arcsec, which is an improvement of two levels of difficulty. After 6 months without training, the improvement, achieved by training, remained stable. Conclusions: In older people, visual training leads to a significant, long-lasting improvement in stereoscopic vision and the corresponding reaction time in seniors. This indicates cortical plasticity even in old age.

scholarly journals The interaction between elapsed time and decision accuracy differs between humans and rats

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly A Shevinsky ◽  
Pamela Reinagel
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Local Analysis ◽  
Decision Strategy ◽  
Motion Discrimination ◽  
Motion Coherence ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Individual

AbstractA stochastic visual motion discrimination task is widely used to study rapid decision-making in humans and animals. Among trials of the same sensory difficulty within a block of fixed decision strategy, humans and monkeys are widely reported to make more errors in the individual trials with longer reaction times. This finding has posed a challenge for the drift-diffusion model of sensory decision-making, which in its basic form predicts that errors and correct responses should have the same reaction time distributions. We previously reported that rats also violate this model prediction, but in the opposite direction: for rats, motion discrimination accuracy was highest in the trials with the longest reaction times. To rule out task differences as the cause of our divergent finding in rats, the present study tested humans and rats using the same task and analyzed their data identically. We confirmed that rats’ accuracy increased with reaction time, whereas humans’ accuracy decreased with reaction time in the same task. These results were further verified using a new temporally-local analysis method, ruling out that the observed trend was an artifact of non-stationarity in the data of either species. The main effect was found whether the signal strength (motion coherence) was varied in randomly interleaved trials or held constant within a block. The magnitude of the effects increased with motion coherence. These results provide new constraints useful for refining and discriminating among the many alternative mathematical theories of decision-making.

scholarly journals Aqueous and Enzymatic Extraction of Oil and Protein from Almond Cake: A Comparative Study

Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thaiza S. P. Souza ◽  
Fernanda F. G. Dias ◽  
Maria G. B. Koblitz ◽  
Juliana M. L. N. de M. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Protein Extraction ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Extraction Process ◽  
Oil Yield ◽  
Food Applications ◽  
Aqueous Extraction Process ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Mechanical Expression ◽  
Central Composite

The almond cake is a protein- and oil-rich by-product of the mechanical expression of almond oil that has the potential to be used as a source of valuable proteins and lipids for food applications. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the individual and combined effects of solids-to-liquid ratio (SLR), reaction time, and enzyme use on oil and protein extraction yields from almond cake. A central composite rotatable design was employed to maximize the overall extractability and distribution of extracted components among the fractions generated by the aqueous (AEP) and enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction process (EAEP). Simultaneous extraction of oil and protein by the AEP was favored by the use of low SLR (1:12.82) and longer reaction times (2 h), where extraction yields of 48.2% and 70% were achieved, respectively. Increased use of enzyme (0.85%) in the EAEP resulted in higher oil (50%) and protein (75%) extraction yields in a shorter reaction time (1 h), compared with the AEP at the same reaction time (41.6% oil and 70% protein extraction). Overall, extraction conditions that favored oil and protein extraction also favored oil yield in the cream and protein yield in the skim. However, increased oil yield in the skim was observed at conditions where higher oil extraction was achieved. In addition to improving oil and protein extractability, the use of enzyme during the extraction resulted in the production of skim fractions with smaller and more soluble peptides at low pH (5.0), highlighting possible uses of the EAEP skim in food applications involving acidic pH. The implications of the use of enzyme during the extraction regarding the de-emulsification of the EAEP cream warrant further investigation.

Experimental Finger Dyspraxia

1952 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. V. Jackson ◽  
O. L. Zangwill
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Visual Control ◽  
Constant Speed ◽  
Direct Vision ◽  
Finger Movements ◽  
The Individual

Subjects were required to perform discrete finger movements in accordance with a pre-arranged sequence of instructions. In all cases, any movement made by any finger was recorded by means of a constant-speed kymograph equipped with levers designed to record separately the movements of the individual fingers. This experiment was carried out under three conditions: (a) with no vision of the hand; (b) with direct vision of the hand; and (c) with the hand presented in mirror-image. It was found that, whereas deprivation of visual control was without effect on the efficiency of finger movements, presentation of the hand in mirror-image gave rise to significant increases in reaction time of three fingers and to an increase in the percentages of prior and substitute movements of other digits. Phenomena akin to depersonalisation were reported in some cases. It was also found that the rank order of mean reaction times of the five digits was approximately constant under all conditions and that the two fingers with the shortest reaction times were preceded by the fewest movements of other digits. These two digits were also the most frequently moved in advance when movements of other digits were requested and it is suggested that they have a certain “signpost function” in guiding identification of the remaining fingers. Some implications of these results for an understanding of “finger agnosia” are briefly indicated in an Appendix.

Modeling Within-Person Variance in Reaction Time Data of Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 169-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Rast ◽  
Daniel Zimprich
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Reaction Time Data ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Time Task ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Second Wave

In order to model within-person (WP) variance in a reaction time task, we applied a mixed location scale model using 335 participants from the second wave of the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging. The age of the respondents and the performance in another reaction time task were used to explain individual differences in the WP variance. To account for larger variances due to slower reaction times, we also used the average of the predicted individual reaction time (RT) as a predictor for the WP variability. Here, the WP variability was a function of the mean. At the same time, older participants were more variable and those with better performance in another RT task were more consistent in their responses.

The Level of Reaction Time Determines the ERP Correlates of Auditory Negative Priming

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Mayr ◽  
Michael Niedeggen ◽  
Axel Buchner ◽  
Guido Orgs
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Negative Priming ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Priming Effect ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Negative Priming Effect ◽  
Episodic Retrieval ◽  
Time Level ◽  
Fast Reactions ◽  
Priming Condition

Responding to a stimulus that had to be ignored previously is usually slowed-down (negative priming effect). This study investigates the reaction time and ERP effects of the negative priming phenomenon in the auditory domain. Thirty participants had to categorize sounds as musical instruments or animal voices. Reaction times were slowed-down in the negative priming condition relative to two control conditions. This effect was stronger for slow reactions (above intraindividual median) than for fast reactions (below intraindividual median). ERP analysis revealed a parietally located negativity of the negative priming condition compared to the control conditions between 550-730 ms poststimulus. This replicates the findings of Mayr, Niedeggen, Buchner, and Pietrowsky (2003) . The ERP correlate was more pronounced for slow trials (above intraindividual median) than for fast trials (below intraindividual median). The dependency of the negative priming effect size on the reaction time level found in the reaction time analysis as well as in the ERP analysis is consistent with both the inhibition as well as the episodic retrieval account of negative priming. A methodological artifact explanation of this effect-size dependency is discussed and discarded.

The Effect of Retest Practice on the Speed-Ability Relationship

2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sybille Rockstroh ◽  
Karl Schweizer
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
General Intelligence ◽  
Attention Switching ◽  
Letter Comparison ◽  
Sternberg Paradigm ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Elementary Cognitive Tasks

Effects of four retest-practice sessions separated by 2 h intervals on the relationship between general intelligence and four reaction time tasks (two memory tests: Sternberg's memory scanning, Posner's letter comparison; and two attention tests: continuous attention, attention switching) were examined in a sample of 83 male participants. Reaction times on all tasks were shortened significantly. The effects were most pronounced with respect to the Posner paradigm and smallest with respect to the Sternberg paradigm. The relationship to general intelligence changed after practice for two reaction time tasks. It increased to significance for continuous attention and decreased for the Posner paradigm. These results indicate that the relationship between psychometric intelligence and elementary cognitive tasks depends on the ability of skill acquisition. In the search for the cognitive roots of intelligence the concept of learning seems to be of importance.

How Useful is the Power Law of Practice for Recognizing Practice in Concentration Tests?

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Hagemeister
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Error Rate ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Rate Decrease ◽  
Small Practice

Abstract. When concentration tests are completed repeatedly, reaction time and error rate decrease considerably, but the underlying ability does not improve. In order to overcome this validity problem this study aimed to test if the practice effect between tests and within tests can be useful in determining whether persons have already completed this test. The power law of practice postulates that practice effects are greater in unpracticed than in practiced persons. Two experiments were carried out in which the participants completed the same tests at the beginning and at the end of two test sessions set about 3 days apart. In both experiments, the logistic regression could indeed classify persons according to previous practice through the practice effect between the tests at the beginning and at the end of the session, and, less well but still significantly, through the practice effect within the first test of the session. Further analyses showed that the practice effects correlated more highly with the initial performance than was to be expected for mathematical reasons; typically persons with long reaction times have larger practice effects. Thus, small practice effects alone do not allow one to conclude that a person has worked on the test before.

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