Experiment 1
REACTION
TIME
PROCEDURE
You and your partner will use a
special program to each record 100 reaction time measurements according
to the instructions below.
- Select EJECT DISC.
- Double Click on MouseRT Apl.
You will see:
"Enter the number of Reaction Time measurements to be made-"
If it does not appear, ask your lab instructor for help.
2. PRACTICE
RUN: To test the program, enter 3 for the number of measurements and
hit RETURN. A list of instructions
will appear on the screen. Read them carefully before striking any
key!!
3. Hit
any key now. The screen will go blank for a random period of time. Watch
in the upper left corner of the window for the word STOP
to
appear. As soon as it appears, click with the mouse. The word should disappear
again for a random period of time before reappearing. It will continue
to reappear until you complete the number of Reaction Time measurements you
entered in step 2.
4. A new
screen will appear with the listing of your reaction times, 
,
s,
and sm
like the one shown below.
♦♦♦DO
NOT TOUCH THE KEYBOARD!♦♦♦
Figure 1-2: Example of MouseRT
Final Window
The data program will end and close
the window when you touch any key. You need to record the values in
the Workbook, so do not
touch the keyboard until you have recorded them. These values are in machine
units (mu). Each mu is approximately 1/100 of a second. You
will determine a precise relation between mu’s and seconds later
on in the Calibration procedure.
5. To record the data, open the GRAB application 
from the dock.
Under the CAPTURE menu, select WINDOW.
Click the Choose Window button.
Click anywhere inside the Mini v Mac window to select it.
Go back to the Mini v Mac window and select it with the mouse.
Hit any key to end the data taking procedure.
6. Open
up the Reaction-Workbook
spreadsheet on the main computer, and fill in the header information, including
partners’ names, lab instructor and the date.
7. TAKING DATA:
Repeat
steps 1 through 5, but this time at step 2 enter 100 for the number
of Reaction Time measurements. Be sure to record all of the 100 data points
on the
Worksheet before hitting a key at the end.
Each
partner should record his/her own reaction time as a separate run of
100 points in spreadsheet cells B13 through F32, and
B43
through
F62, respectively.
8. For
each partner, from the MouseRT display, record: average reaction
time in cells F34 and F64, standard deviation in cells
F36
and F66, and standard deviation of the mean in cells F38
and F68 on the Worksheet.
9. CALIBRATION:
To convert the MouseRT machine unit times into seconds, run the
program and use a watch with a sweep-second hand, or the wall clock to
check the time. Allow STOP to appear
for 180 seconds before you click with the mouse. Do this for three separate
calibration runs, and record the results on the Worksheet each time
in cells F73:F75. Partners will use the same calibration data.