Does having to remember the position of a target improve reaction time?
In the monkey, reaction time in a precued delayed response task was found to be faster when the animals had to remember the precue than when it was continually available (Smyrnis, Taira, Ashe, & Georgopoulos, 1992). We investigated whether this reflects a general principle that applies to all types of precued tasks. However, we found the opposite result in a simpler task in humans. Our findings suggest that the beneficial effect of a memory requirement on reaction time in the monkey may reflect an effect of task difficulty, rather than a fundamental process involved in all precued movement tasks.
Parr-Brownlie
L
L
Department of Physiology, and the Center for Neuroscience, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Wickens
J
J
Anson
J G
JG
Hyland
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011403:Pronation / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D013484:Supination / Q000502:physiology