RP7 Human reaction time

Question 1

what is a 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 off the edge.
• one partner whould hold the 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 injur from falling ruler