koel's+research

When a human subject follows instructions to make a specific response as soon as he can after the presentation of a specific signal, the latency of the response is called reaction time (//RT//). Average values of between 150 and 250 milliseconds (msec.) are typically found, for example, where the subject must press a telegraph key when a light is flashed; however, under some conditions, //RT//s even shorter than one hundred msec. and even longer than one second may occur. The term //“RT,”// is also applied to the continuous lag of responses to the stream of ongoing events. Beginnings of the //RT// experiment are found in two sources. One is Helmholtz’ study of the speed of neural transmission. In an unsuccessful attempt, reported in 1850, to adapt the nerve muscle preparation technique to the intact human organism, he measured the latency of voluntary hand responses to light electric shocks applied to different areas of the skin. It may be supposed that Helmholtz did not appreciate what could be learned through this approach as he did not proceed with it. However, it was not long before many others were actively experimenting and theorizing on the problem. The other source is the astronomer Friedrich Bessel’s analysis in 1822 of differences among observers in their estimates of the instant, within a series of clock ticks, in which a star passed a cross wire, the “eye and ear” method. With the interest thus aroused in the variability of human behavior, and with the concurrent development of accurate timing apparatus designed to eliminate this factor from astronomical observations, there eventually resulted the measurement of true //RT//s by two astronomers. One was O. M. Mitchel, an American, who used light and sound signals in 1858; the other was A. Hirsch, a Swiss, who also used electric shock in 1861–1864. Three early programs of research on //RT// are of special importance. The first is that of the Dutch physiologist Frans Donders, who in 1868 introduced the experiment in which response is made dependent upon a choice between signals, i.e., the disjunctive //RT.// By subtracting the RT to a simpler situation from that to a more complex situation, he hoped to find the time required for the additional mental act. The second is that of Siegmund Exner, who first used the term “reaction time” in 1873. His emphasis was on the importance of preparation and on the subject’s feeling of involun-tariness of the response. The third is that of Wundt, started in 1880, which was notable for the attempt to measure the //RT// for the identification of a stimulus. At least the germ of much of the later experimentation on //RT// and of the accompanying conceptionaUzations is found in the work of these pioneers. (See Boring [1929] 1950, chapter 8; and Woodworth 1938, chapter 14 for a more complete historical coverage.) Two characteristics of //RT// have especially attracted the attention of investigators. First, //RT// is shortened by “strength” conditions, but not below an irreducible minimum. Second, //RT// is increased by “complexity” conditions. Much of the research in this field has aimed at developing functional relations between //RT// and variables concerned with strength or complexity. found at [] Texting and driving. Texting and driving is a cause to lowering awareness levels but for different reasons than influence. texting takes your eyes off the road which makes you un aware of the surroundings. Driving under influence is when something is in your system and it takes control of your mind so you kind of are at somewhat of a disadvantage. To solve a problem like this I think we could make a system that tracks the behavior of the pedals then sends the information to a local police crusier. The last part about the question is the number of passengers. more people means more distractions especially if you are with your friends.