Learn by Novus · Open practice pack v1

Reaction-time exercises: applied practice: open practice pack: answer key

20 untimed questions across 4 authored sections.

This is untimed educational practice for one applied skill. It is not a clinical, diagnostic, employment, or professionally recognized assessment, it does not produce a score or credential, and for the judgement and safety families it is not a substitute for your employer's own policies, training, or legal duties.

Answer key

ItemChoiceAnswer
reaction-time-applied-s01-q01CPress right
reaction-time-applied-s01-q02AMake no response
reaction-time-applied-s01-q03DMake no response: the tone is a stop signal that overrides the go signal
reaction-time-applied-s01-q04BA false alarm: responding when the rule required withholding, because the practised response fires before it can be inhibited
reaction-time-applied-s01-q05ASlower and less accurate responses for several trials, because the old mapping still competes with the new one
reaction-time-applied-s02-q01BChoice reaction time is longer, and it grows further as the number of alternatives increases
reaction-time-applied-s02-q02DDetection and transmission, then response selection, then the movement itself, each stage contributes a meaningful share
reaction-time-applied-s02-q03CIt shortens the reaction time by allowing preparation, though the benefit fades if the interval is too long or too variable
reaction-time-applied-s02-q04AResponses to sound are typically a little faster
reaction-time-applied-s02-q05BIt is an anticipation error: the response was not caused by the stimulus, and well-designed tests discard or penalise such trials
reaction-time-applied-s03-q01DSpeed can be exchanged for accuracy in either direction, so a reaction time is uninterpretable without its error rate
reaction-time-applied-s03-q02CA: B's 40 ms advantage is bought with nine times the error rate, which is a poor exchange on almost any task
reaction-time-applied-s03-q03AThe fast incorrect response: it commits you to the wrong action and then costs a correction on top
reaction-time-applied-s03-q04BIt raises the average and, more consequentially, the variability: the occasional very long lapse is what causes incidents
reaction-time-applied-s03-q05CThe median together with a measure of spread and the error rate, since a few very long trials distort the mean
reaction-time-applied-s04-q01ABecause the measured value includes device, browser, and display latency, which vary between machines, so scores are not comparable across setups
reaction-time-applied-s04-q02BHold the device, browser, input method, and conditions constant, and compare medians across many trials
reaction-time-applied-s04-q03DIt can add up to about 17 ms of variable delay before the stimulus is even visible. A significant share of the differences usually being measured
reaction-time-applied-s04-q04CVery little on its own: it is one narrow component, and most real tasks depend far more on decision quality, knowledge, and sustained attention
reaction-time-applied-s04-q05DScores improve noticeably over the first few sessions, so a first attempt is not a stable estimate of anything