Abstract
Subjects responded to the spatial location of a stimulus, either by moving a lever in the direction of the stimulus or by saying the direction into a microphone connected to a computer-controlled speech recognition system. Both manual and vocal reaction times increased as a function of the number of response alternatives (1, 2, or 4 directions) and decreased when rapid responding was differentially reinforced. Vocal responding generally was slower, and effects of increasing the number of response alternatives were more pronounced. This last finding, together with the method used to record vocal latencies, argued against the possibility that slower responding was an artifact of the recording systems. The results showed the feasibility of using vocal responses in steady-state analyses of human operant behavior. The manual-vocal differences may have been a consequence of the directionality of the manual response. Movements toward a stimulus are closely controlled by contingencies inherent within the response-stimulus relationship, whereas vocal responses pertaining to direction must be established and maintained by the less reliable verbal community.
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Supported by Grant AG02513 from the National Institute on Aging. We gratefully acknowledge valuable assistance provided by Patricia Powers in collecting and analyzing data. Thanks also are due to colleagues with whom we discussed the findings and interpretations, particulary Eugene Eisman and John Hay.
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Baron, A., Journey, J.W. Reinforcement of Human Reaction Time: Manual-Vocal Differences. Psychol Rec 39, 285–296 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395069
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395069