Abstract
The serial processor theory proposed by Welford is the traditional explanation of the delay in responding to the second stimulus presented in psychological refractory period paradigm experiments. This paper reviews results which do not accord either with that theory or with later modifications of it by Smith and Tolkmitt. To explain these results a model is proposed which contains three propositions: (a) parallel processing of concurrent stimuli, (b) fixed total processing capacity, (c) capacity allocation either dependent on the relative difficulty of the stimuli or set by the subject according to experimental instructions. The predictions of this model for the effects of stimulus difficulty and interstimulus interval on reaction time and interresponse interval are computed. These predictions are compared with those of other parallel processing models of the psychological refractory period which have been proposed by Herman and Kantowitz, by Kahneman and by Keele.
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