Simple Reaction Time as a Function of Response Complexity: Christina et al. (1982) Revisited

Abstract

Abstract Two alternative interpretations to the one proposed by Christina, Fischman, Vercruyssen, and Anson (1982) were investigated. They interpreted the simple reaction time (SRT) increase they found, which was thought to reflect an increase in programming time, to be due to the increase in number of movement parts from one response to another. Experiment 1(N = 15 males) tested the alternative interpretation that the SRT increase was caused by the difference in how the first movement part of the three responses was executed. However, no evidence was found to support this interpretation. Experiment 2 (N = 15 males) tested the alternative interpretation that the SRT increase was due to the increase in the demand for movement accuracy from one response to another. The results revealed that only a very small portion of the SRT increase could be attributed to the increased accuracy demand while the major portion of the increase was due to the increase in number of movement parts.