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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/931302

Title
Response time dynamics: evidence for linear and low-dimensional nonlinear structure in human choice sequences
Author/Creator
Kelly, Alice;  Heathcote, Andrew;  Heath, Richard;  Longstaff, Mitchell
Description
Response time (RT) is a commonly used measure of cognitive performance, which is usually characterized as stochastic. However, useful information may be hidden in the apparently random fluctuations of RT. Dynamical systems analysis techniques allow an exploration of the alternative hypothesis that RT fluctuations are deterministic, albeit in a complex manner. We applied careful task construction and noise-reduction and surrogate series tests to show that RT series from a forced-pace serial response-time task have low-dimensional chaotic characteristics. In Experiment 1, 80% of subjects' filtered RT series had low dimensionality, sensitive dependence on initial conditions, spectra close to 1/f, and stable attractor geometry across sessions. In Experiment 2, we showed that the size of the inter-stimulus interval (ISI) determined the number of subjects with low-dimensional chaotic series. A small ISI caused 100% of subjects to respond in the chaotic regime, whereas only 25% had a low-dimensional chaotic RT component when the ISI was large. We argue that demanding task requirements cause a reduction in the dimensionality of the dynamics, producing RT fluctuations that may reflect a response strategy for controlling RT.
Relation
The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A: Human Experimental Psychology Vol. 54, Issue 3, p. 805-840
Publisher Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/713755987
Date
2001
Publisher
Psychology Press
Keyword(s)
response time;  low dimensionality;  inter-stimulus interval;  demanding task requirements
Resource Type
journal article
Rights
This is an electronic version of an article published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A: Human Experimental Psychology, Vol. 54 No. 3, p. 805-840. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A: Human Experimental Psychology is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0272-4987&volume=54&issue=3&spage=805
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/931302
Identifier
ISSN:0272-4987
Language
eng
Reviewed
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"The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A: Human Experimental Psychology"
 
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