Assessment of subject’s readiness for urgent actions using the variations of sensorimotor response tasks

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to identify the scopeof combined use of different options of sensorimotorresponse to assess the effectiveness of the subject’sreorientation from one apperception scheme toanother. The empirical research has used the method of a laboratory experiment with an intra-subjectimplementation plan. 66 students have beenthe study participants. Computer hardware has beenused. The study participants have performed a seriesof trials of a simple sensorimotor reaction, a sensorimotorreaction of choice and a double choice task,which primarily provides for immediate determinationof the apperception scheme and then – selectionof an action option. Results. The research hasestablished a significant reduction of the reactiontime under increasing orientation time in a doublechoice task for one and three alternate solutions (theFriedman test is respectively: χ²r=300,65 (df = 5;p<.001) and χ²r=62.67 (df = 5; p<.001). The author has obtained the mathematical models of the linearrelationship of the time change in a sensorimotorresponse for a stimulus from time of orientation inthe two indicated variants. The realization of the Hick’Law in the experiment has been confirmed: a simplesensorimotor reaction of the study participants isquicker than a reaction of choice between three alternatives(the Wilcoxon signed-rank test: Z = -7.073;p < .001). The identity of organizing the responseprocesses for the variants of a double choice taskhas been defined. To solve a double choice task,there has been established the availability of anticipationeffect for reactions to one possible variantof a stimulus under the values of the orientationtime of .25 sec and 30 sec (respectively: t=3.138 asр=.003; t=8.656 as р<.001). Conclusion. The assessmentof the rate of the subject’s urgent actions canbe implemented with the use of a double choicetask that involves an immediate choice and realizingone of two variants of sensorimotor response.Automatic variations of orientation time in a doublechoice task allow establishing the required durationof the urgent formation of a new operative imageand a mode of actions, taking into account the set criterion– the time of a simple sensorimot or reaction.