KIN479 Lab 8: Action Preparation and Mental Chronometry
Lab Questions

Question 1: Donders' Subtraction Method (2 points)

Explain how Donders' subtraction method allows researchers to isolate specific mental processes. Using your own experimental data, calculate and interpret your categorization time and mental arithmetic time. What do these values represent in terms of cognitive processing?


Question 2: Hick's Law Application (2 points)

Based on your understanding of Hick's law, predict how reaction times would change if Task B included 8 number choices instead of 2 (odd/even). Explain your reasoning using the logarithmic relationship described in Hick's law, and discuss how this relates to information processing demands.


Question 3: Real-World Motor Control Applications (2 points)

Describe a specific sport or motor skill situation where understanding action preparation time would be critical for performance. Explain how the number of response choices, stimulus-response compatibility, or movement complexity might influence an athlete's reaction time in your chosen example.


Question 4: Premotor vs. Motor Components (2 points)

The textbook describes how RT can be fractionated into premotor and motor components. Based on your experimental results, explain which component (premotor or motor) would likely show the greatest change when comparing Task A to Task C. Justify your answer by describing what processes occur during each component.


Question 5: Factors Affecting Action Preparation (2 points)

Identify and explain three factors from Chapter 8 that could influence action preparation time in your daily activities. For each factor, provide a specific example of how it might affect your RT in a real-world situation (e.g., driving, sports, cooking, etc.).


Instructions:
- Type your answers directly into the Canvas text box
- Upload your experiment data (PDF summary report)
- Ensure all files contain your name for identification
- Use only authentic data from the actual experiment