Maylor, Elizabeth A. and Rabbitt, Patrick (1989) Relationship between rate of preparation for, and processing of, an event requiring a choice response. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Section A: Human Experimental Psychology, Vol.41 (No.1). pp. 47-62. doi:10.1080/14640748908402352

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Abstract

It is known that alcohol increases the time taken to identify signals and to make responses to them, but it is not known whether it also slows the rate of preparation for such events. These two performance parameters are not necessarily related, as age affects the former but not the latter. Twenty subjects participated in a 4-choice reaction time experiment in which they received no alcohol (NA) in the first session and either no alcohol (10 subjects) or 0.8 ml alcohol (A) per kg body weight (10 subjects) in the second session. In each session there were 300 practice trials, followed by 400 experimental trials at each one of five Response–Stimulus Intervals (RSI: 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 msec). There was a significant effect of alcohol such that the reduction in response time from the first to the second session was 39 msec larger for the NA/NA group than for the NA/A group. Response time decreased significantly with increasing RSI, but there was no interaction between the effect of alcohol and RSI. Thus, alcohol slows the processing of an event requiring a choice response; however, like age and individual differences, but unlike practice, alcohol has no effect on the rate of preparation for that event. In addition, an analysis of what happened before and after an error revealed that practice and increasing RSI produce real improvements in performance rather than shifts in the tradeoff between speed and accuracy, whereas alcohol produces a real impairment. It is concluded that the relationship between the rate of preparation for, and processing of, a stimulus is not simple, as one factor (practice) influences both rates, whereas other factors (alcohol, individual differences, and age) influence the rate of processing only.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Psychology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Alcohol -- Psychological aspects, Reaction time, Cognition, Attention
Journal or Publication Title:	The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Section A: Human Experimental Psychology
Publisher:	Psychology Press
ISSN:	0272-4987
Official Date:	1989
Dates:	Date Event 1989 Published
Volume:	Vol.41
Number:	No.1
Page Range:	pp. 47-62
DOI:	10.1080/14640748908402352
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Funder:	Medical Research Council (Great Britain) (MRC)
Grant number:	G8221479 (MRC)

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