PSYCHOLOGY STATISTICS

Psychology Statistics

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the Stimulus-response compatibility in relationship of the reaction time in recognizing stimuli and participants' handedness in incompatible and compatible conditions. It was hypothesized that the reaction time will be longer in incompatible condition. This study used an experimental, 1 tv, 2 levels (compatible, incompatible) between subjects design to test the hypothesis. Participants responded to a circle (stimuli) displayed in the center of the computer screen. The stimulus was shown every 500 ms and randomly in between 2000 ms to 3000 ms in compatible and incompatible conditions. The participants were asked to press a key in react to the stimuli shown up to a monitor as soon as possible. The result has shown that reaction time was longer in incompatible condition than in compatible condition.

Psychology Statistics

Introduction

The spatial compatibility between stimuli and responses is a powerful determinant of performance. The purpose of this task is to gain experience with research design and statistical analysis the experiment you conduct will (intentionally) be theoretically and technically simple. This research carries out simple experiments to investigate the effects of spatial stimulus-response (SR) compatibility on reaction time (RT). S-R compatibility is “the extent to which the stimulus and the associated response are connected in a 'natural' way” (Schmidt, 1988, p. 85). The experiment will involve a computer program that requires participants to respond to visual stimuli presented on the left and right of the screen with the index fingers of the left and right hands. In one condition participants will respond to stimuli with the hand on the same side as stimulus presentation (i.e., left stimulus = left hand, right stimulus = right hand). In another condition responses will be performed with the hand on the opposite side of stimulus presentation. Reaction time of participants (n = 23 [5 males, 18 females], mean age [years]: 23.87, SD: 2.231 (mean age= 23.87 SD=2.231) was assessed in compatible and incompatible conditions.

Hypothesis

Ho: Response Time (RT) in compatible condition is shorter than in incompatible condition.

Ha: Response Time (RT) in compatible condition is longer than in incompatible condition.

Different reaction time in different conditions

Handedness is a human attribute defined by unequal distribution of fine motor skills between the left and the right hands. Generally, 70-90% of the world population is right-handed, rather than left-handed (Holder, M. K., 1997), and 10% of the world population is left-handed (Hardyck C, Petrinovich LF, 1977). Many psychologists conducted a number of studies about handedness (e.g., Tandonnet, C., Burle, B., Vidal, F., & Hasbroucq, T., 2005; Ottoboni, G., Tessari, A., Cubelli, R., & Umiltà, C., 2005), and especially Fitts (1995) has done a research about S-R compatibility in terms of spatial characteristics of stimulus and response codes. But, the study of difference between the handedness and its response time has not barely researched. For that reason, this study has conducted to observe the effect of a handedness on the reaction time of responding to stimuli that shown up to the right or to the left side ...