Reaction Speed as a Function of Stimulus Intensity in Normals and Retardates

Abstract

The reaction times of retardates and normals were compared as a function of intensity of the reaction signal. Three intensity levels of a 1000-cycle tone were used: 5, 15, and 25 db above threshold. Each S was presented all tones in a completely counterbalanced order. The results revealed that both intelligence groups reacted faster with each increase in intensity of the signal. Since no significant interactions emerged, it cannot be concluded that the groups benefited differentially from increases in intensity of reaction signal. It is suggested that retardates may have a sensory set whereas normals have a motor set in the reaction time task.