Psychology Labs and Resources

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Department of Psychology

Deary-Liewald Simple Reaction Time

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Description

A simple reaction time experiment is a common psychological test used to measure the time it takes for an individual to respond to a stimulus. The purpose of the experiment is to assess the speed and efficiency of processing sensory information and generating a motor response.

Procedure

The task begins with a 24 x 24 px fixation cross presented for a variable duration to prevent anticipation of the stimulus occurring. The task requires that participants make a specific response (e.g., a spacebar press) whenever any stimulus (e.g., a shape or letter) appears on the screen

Figure 1: A single trial in the Deary-Liewald Simple Reaction Time Task
Figure to show a single trial in the experiment

Reference

Deary, I. J., Liewald, D., & Nissan, J. (2011). A free, easy-to-use, computer-based simple and four-choice reaction time programme: the Deary-Liewald reaction time task. Behavior research methods, 43, 258-268.