Required practical 7 - Reaction time

Question 1

What is reaction time?

Answer 1

The time taken to respond to changes in the environment.

Question 2

Describe how you would investigate how practice affect reaction times in humans

Answer 2

• Work in partners. One partner places the forearm of their non-dominant hand on the table, with their hand hanging on the edge.
• One partner should hold ruler between the fingers of the other partner at the 0 mark.
• The partner holding the ruler drops it without any warning, and the other partner should catch the ruler as quickly as possible.
• Record the number level after the ruler has been caught - repeat at least 5 times per person.
• Find reaction times using a conversion table.

Question 3

What other factors could you investigate in this experiment?

Answer 3

The effect of caffeine or exercise on reaction times.

Question 4

What safety precautions should be taken during this experiment?

Answer 4

Avoid injury from falling ruler.