Expectancy
and Choice Reaction Time as a Function of Stimulus Presentation
Probability and Serial Dependency
T. Oyama, N. Tanabe |
RTs
were measured in a two-alternative task. 8 to 10 undergraduate students
served as subjects in each series of experiment. The subject was
asked to assign an expectancy rating on an 11-point scale before
each stimulus presentation. In Experiment I, the stimulus presentation
probabilities were biased (0.75: 0.25 or 0.25: 0.75), but they were
independent of the preceding stimulus. In Experiment II, the presentation
probabilities of two stimuli were equal, but the same stimulus was
repeated with a conditional probability of 0.75. The RT to a stimulus
became shorter as the expectancy to that stimulus became stronger
when the expectancy was directed to the correct stimulus. But it
was nearly constant when the expectancy was directed to the incorrect
stimulus. Probability effect and repetition effect were found in
Experiments I and II, respectively. It was concluded that shorter
RTs to the more probable stimulus and to the repeated stimulus can
be attributed mostly to stronger expectancies of these stimuli.
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