Some Properties of the Reaction-Time Ready-Signal

Behar, Isaac; Adams, Calvin K.

doi:10.2307/1420882

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…The main effect of warning signal intensity reported in these experiments is opposite the effect that is frequently found: Stronger warning and accessory signals lead to faster responses (Behar & Adams, 1966;Bernstein, Chu, Briggs, & Schurman, 1973;Keuss, 1972). At least part of the difference may depend on the foreperiods used.…”

Section: Pure Strong Blockscontrasting

confidence: 86%

Stimulus intensity and information processing

Nissen

1977

Perception & Psychophysics

137

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The physiological and behavioral literature regarding effects of stimulus intensity on the time course of information processing is reviewed. The physiological data describe intensity effects on the sensory pathway. Reaction time studies show that the effect of intensity on behavioral responses also depends on and may be mediated by more cognitive processes. The degree to which intensity affects simple reaction time varies directly with the response criterion subjects use. The lack of this dependence in choice reaction time may indicate different intensity effects on energy and nonenergy pathways. The literature suggests that intensity affects the time course of information processing not only by influencing the speed of processing in sensory pathways, but also by affecting alertness and the time required to direct attention to a stimulus.Stimulus intensity has been used extensively as an independent variable in psychological research, but· its use has been most closely associated with the field of psychophysics. As part of their general interest in the relation between stimulus magnitude and subjective magnitude, psychophysicists have relentlessly searched for the true law relating stimulus intensity to perceived intensity. There has been no doubt that the relationship is nonlinear. Rather, the questions have involved the type of nonlinearity that best describes the psychophysical data (logarithmic vs. power functions), the level in the processing system at which the nonlinear transformation occurs, and the dependence of the input-output relationship on such things as stimulus modality, duration, and size.The thoroughness of the psychophysicists' investigations of the effect of stimulus intensity on perceived intensity has not been paralleled by investigations of intensity effects on other psychological processes. It has been known since 1886 that reaction time decreases with stimulus intensity (Cattell, 1886). Recent studies in cognitive psychology have concentrated not on understanding how intensity affects reaction time but instead on using manipulation of intensity as a tool with which to investigate other cognitive factors. In Sternberg's (1969) influential stage model of information processing, stimulus intensity is explicitly assumed to affect only the earliest stages of encoding. Without questioning this assumption, psychologists have used intensity manipulations within the framework of the additive factors logic (Sternberg, 1969), arguing that any variable which interacts withThe author wishes to thank Michael 1. Posner and Richard T. Marrocco for helpful comments on this paper. Requests for reprints should be sent to Mary Jo Nissen, Eye Research Laboratories, The University of Chicago, 950 East 59th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637. 338 stimulus intensity must also affect encoding. Considering the number of theoretical arguments that have been based on the assumption that intensity only affects the earliest stage of processing, it is important to know, specifically, whether that assumption is valid, an...

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Section: Pure Strong Blockscontrasting

confidence: 86%

Stimulus intensity and information processing

Nissen

1977

Perception & Psychophysics

137

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“…With the 0 dB ambient level, RT decreased monotonically with increasing ready signal intensity, a result which replicates our previous finding (Behar & Adams, 1966). The present results extend this finding in showing that corresponding results obtain when the ready signals consist either of increments or decrements from the intertrial intensity, providing strong supportfor the generality of the Perkins-Logan hypothesis in the RT task.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…We attribute the longer RTs of Experiment II to the presence of no-ready-signal trials, which increased the Ss' uncertainty regarding the ready signal. Further evidence for the role of ready signal uncertainty was provided in our previous paper (Behar & Adams, 1966).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…However, RTs were shorter when ready signals were decreases rather than increases in intensity (significant in one study,l. Behar & Adams (1966) have demonstrated that the ready signal in the simple reaction-time (RT) experiment has properties that are analogous to those of the CS in classical aversive conditioning. Thus, as ready signal intensity was increased, RT decreased significantly when a within-Ss design was used.…”

Section: Two Studies Tested the Generality Of The Perkins-logan Hypotmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stimulus change properties of the RT ready signal

Adams

Behar

1966

Psychon Sci

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“…Thus, Geblewiczowa (1963) found that two closely spaced ready signals resulted in shorter RTs than did a single ready signal or two which were more widely separated in time. Behar and Adams (1966) found an inverse relation between ready signal intensity and RT, and also shorter RTs with "delayed" than with "trace" presentation of the ready signal. That the ready signal intensity effect depends upon the magnitude of stimulus change from the intertrial.…”

Section: Decreasementioning

confidence: 79%