Stimulus Probability and Simple Reaction Time

Gordon, Ian

doi:10.1038/215895a0

Cited by 50 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Ordinarily, when potential stimuli differ in their relative probabilities of occurrence, RTs are shorter to the more likely stimuli and longer to the less likely (Gordon, 1967;LaBerge & Tweedy, 1964). This effect of relative probability can be quite substantial, causing RT to vary by 50-100 msec.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Models of stimulus uncertainty in motion perception.

Ball¹,

Sekuler²

1980

Psychological Review

113

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A model is proposed to account for the loss in visibility of moving targets that occurs when an observer is uncertain about the target's direction of motion. The model's key features are an array of directionally selective visual mechanisms and a rule governing the mechanisms from which an observer will derive sensory data. In response to uncertainty about two possible directions of motion, the observer is assumed to use a mechanism whose peak sensitivity is to a direction midway between the two possible directions. Seven experiments, using both reaction time and forced-choice data, demonstrate the predictive advantages of this midway model over competing single-band and multiple-band models. Additionally, the experiments reveal several new properties of human motion perception: (a) Direction and velocity information have orthogonal representations in the visual system; (b) although motion sensitivity does not vary with direction, the precision with which small changes in direction can be recognized does, reflecting differential breadth of tuning for directionally selective mechanisms sensitive to various directions; and (c) motion-analyzing mechanisms are broadly tuned for direction as well as speed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Models of stimulus uncertainty in motion perception.

Ball¹,

Sekuler²

1980

Psychological Review

113

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Generally speaking, conditions that influence RTs in the detection of an event (as in the foreperiod literature discussed above) should also affect perceived duration in a similar manner. For example, previous studies examining effects of foreperiods on RTs have shown that increasing either occurrence uncertainty or temporal uncertainty of a target stimulus tends to produce longer RTs for detecting the target (Drazin, 1961;Gordon, 1967;Klemmer, 1956;see Niemi & Näätänen, 1981, for a review of foreperiod effects on RTs). Considered in the context of a temporal preparation account of the effect of position on perceived duration reported here and by Pariyadath and Eagleman (2012), including "catch" trials on which no oddball occurs on some proportion of trials should (1) produce longer PSEs (an overall shortening of perceived durations) and (2) reduce, or even eliminate, the effect of position.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of pitch distance and likelihood on the perceived duration of deviant auditory events

Kim

McAuley

2013

Atten Percept Psychophys

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When a deviant (oddball) stimulus is presented within a series of otherwise identical (standard) stimuli, the duration of the oddball tends to be overestimated. Two experiments investigated factors affecting systematic distortions in the perceived duration of oddball stimuli. Both experiments used an auditory oddball paradigm where oddball tones varied in both their pitch distance from the pitch of a standard tone and their likelihood of occurrence. Experiment 1 revealed that (1) far-pitch oddballs were perceived to be longer than near-pitch oddballs, (2) effects of pitch distance were greater in low-likelihood conditions, and (3) oddballs in later serial positions were perceived to be longer than oddballs in earlier serial positions. The above effects held regardless of whether oddballs were higher or lower in pitch than the standard. Experiment 2 revealed a pattern of response times in an oddball detection task that generally paralleled the pattern of data observed in Experiment 1; across conditions, there was a negative correlation between detection times and perceived duration. Taken together, the results suggest that the observed effects of oddball pitch, likelihood, and position on perceived duration are at least partly driven by how quickly individuals are able to initiate timing the oddball following its onset. Implications for different theoretical accounts of the oddball effect are discussed.

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“…The interval between the two signals is called the preparatory delay. Many behavioral studies have shown convincingly that increased expectancy of an RS raises the subject's readinessto-respond, as is reflected in shortened RTs (see, for example, Requin et al, 1991;Luce, 1986;Niemi & Näätänen, 1981;Näätänen, 1972;Gordon, 1967). Simple RT tasks with variable preparatory delays are very effective to experimentally manipulate RS expectancy (and therefore, readiness-to-respond), namely, via the conditional probability of the RS.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectancy Induces Dynamic Modulation of Corticospinal Excitability

Elswijk

Kleine²,

Overeem³

et al. 2007

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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Abstract& Behavioral studies using motor preparation paradigms have revealed that increased expectancy of a response signal shortens reaction times (RTs). Neurophysiological data suggest that in such paradigms, not only RT but also neuronal activity in the motor structures involved is modulated by expectancy of behaviorally relevant events. Here, we directly tested whether expectancy of a response signal modulates excitability of the corticospinal system used in the subsequent movement. We combined single-and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the primary motor cortex with a simple RT task with variable preparatory delays. We found that, in line with typical behavioral observations, the subjects' RTs decreased with increasing response signal expectancy. TMS results revealed a modulation of corticospinal excitability in correspondence with response signal expectancy. Besides an increased excitability over the time-course of the preparatory delay, corticospinal excitability transiently increased whenever a response signal was expected. Paired-pulse TMS showed that this modulation is unlikely to be mediated by excitability changes in interneuronal inhibitory or facilitatory networks in the primary motor cortex. Changes in corticospinal synchronization or other mechanisms involving spinal circuits are candidates mediating the modulation of corticospinal excitability by expectancy. &

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Stimulus Probability and Simple Reaction Time

Cited by 50 publications

References 4 publications

Models of stimulus uncertainty in motion perception.

Models of stimulus uncertainty in motion perception.

Effects of pitch distance and likelihood on the perceived duration of deviant auditory events

Expectancy Induces Dynamic Modulation of Corticospinal Excitability

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