======Simple and Choice Reaction Time Tasks======


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**Alternative titles:** Reaction Time in Cognitive Psychology
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Present a single stimulus (e.g., a light or cross on the screen).  
  - Instruct participants to respond as quickly as possible with one action (e.g., pressing the space bar).  
  - Repeat across several trials to collect average response times (Simple Reaction Time Task).  
  - Present multiple possible stimuli (e.g., a cross appearing in one of four positions).  
  - Assign each stimulus a unique response key (e.g., z, x, b, n).  
  - Have participants respond according to the stimulus shown (Choice Reaction Time Task).  
  - Record and compare the average response times for both tasks.



====Links==== 
📄 Simple and choice reaction time tasks - Psytoolkit: [[https://www.psytoolkit.org/lessons/simple_choice_rts.html]]\\


====Variations====
  * Increase the number of stimuli in the choice task to see how reaction time changes.  
  * Compare results across different age groups.  
  * Test performance under different conditions (e.g., tired vs. rested, hungry vs. full).  
  * Introduce time pressure to emphasize the speed-accuracy trade-off.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Ensure participants have no medical conditions (such as epilepsy) that could be triggered by screen flashes.  
  * Encourage breaks if participants experience eye strain or fatigue.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why are reaction times faster in simple tasks compared to choice tasks? (Because fewer stimulus-response associations reduce processing time.)  
  * How does Hick’s law explain the relationship between number of choices and response time? (Response time increases as the number of choices grows.)  
  * What is the speed-accuracy trade-off, and how does it affect performance in these tasks? (Trying to be more accurate usually slows responses, while trying to be faster may increase errors.)  
  * How do factors like age, attention, or fatigue influence reaction times? (Younger and more alert participants tend to respond faster, while fatigue and distractions slow responses.)