Reaction Times to Words vs Symbols for Both Hands

Abstract

Reaction times were used to infer an interaction between different stimuli (verbal and symbolic) and the hand used to respond to such stimuli for 26 college students. Significant differences in reaction times were found dependent upon whether the stimulus was a word or a symbol and which hand was used in response to the different stimuli. There was more rapid mediation with significantly shorter latency for symbolic stimuli than for verbal stimuli for both the right and left hands. Also, latency was shorter for symbolic stimuli using the right hand than for verbal stimuli using the left hand. It may be concluded from this that efficacy of symbolic stimuli is primary in conveyance of denotative meaning. The primacy of symbolic stimuli for denoting meaning might be traced to evolutionary sources.