[Decision strategy: effect of probability of the results and of the allowed time on choice reaction time and on movement time].
In many sport activities, the speed with which a performer can complete the required response is an important determinant of performance. In order to minimize this time an individual can initiate and execute the response faster. A number of studies (Alain & Proteau, 1977; Proteau & Dugas, 1982; Régnier & Salmela, 1980) in which individual was to move for two meters in a choice reaction time task have shown that, when the probability of one of the two events was 0,9, the movement time (MT) was significantly reduced. The results may perhaps be explained by the fact that subjects shifted their weight during the foreperiod (FP) preceding the stimulus and then facilitated the movement execution (reflected by a lower MT). The present experiment was designed to test the second possibility. Subjects initiated their responses from a dynamographic platform. The independent variables were the probabilities of the two events and the time allowed for subjects to complete the response. Results indicated that when the probability of one of the two events was sufficiently high (0,9), subjects did shift their weight during the FP in order to produce a faster response. The results supported the fact that subjects, in sport like situations, prepare themselves, at least partially, but only when the probability of the event is very high.
D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D011336:Probability; D013178:Sports Medicine; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013996:Time and Motion Studies
Stratégie de décision: effet de la probabilité des événements et du temps accordé sur le temps de réaction au choix et sur le temps de mouvement.