Dynamics of the temporal parameters of sensorimotor reactions as a function of movement type in man.

An investigation consisting of two series was carried out on nine healthy male subjects, age 20-24 years. In the first series, a warning signal and then four symbols which required a simple or a complex reaction were presented sequentially on a display screen. In the second series, asterisks were presented instead of the symbols. The sequence of reactions was performed from memory. The results of the investigations made possible the identification of two specific features: a significant decrease in RT in the series of reaction from memory, and a successive decrease in RT with a decrease in the number of the remaining signals in the block of signals. In the first series, the RT decreased successively by 35-40 msec, and in the second, by 16-20 msec. It is hypothesized that the difference in RT between the series characterizes the time of analysis of one signal, and the difference, on the other hand, in the RT within the limits of a single block in the second series characterizes the time for the retrieval from memory of the motor program.