Effects of Heat, Social Facilitation, Sex Differences, and Task Difficulty on Reaction Time

Abstract

Paid volunteers (64 males, 64 females) performed either an easy or a complex reaction time task, either alone or in pairs (coaction), while exposed to ambient temperatures of either 22°C or 37°C. Reaction time was faster for males than for females, faster for the easy than for the complex task, and faster for coacting than for individually acting subjects. Heat increased reaction time, though its effect was statistically weak. All of these factors were essentially additive, with task difficulty having the strongest effect. Regression analysis suggested that arousal, as measured by systolic blood pressure, could account for the effects of coaction, sex differences, and heat.