Anomalous reaction-times in a case of manic-depressive depression / by Shepherd Ivory Franz.

  • Shepherd Ivory Franz
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Anomalous reaction-times in a case of manic-depressive depression / by Shepherd Ivory Franz. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    equal number of simple reactions. Occasionally the number of choice reactions equaled the number of simple ones. In the following tables the average and the average variation are given for the total number of reactions for the period of time considered. No reactions were dis- carded because they seemed to be too short or too long, but only when there was evidence that the subject had not reacted in a perfectly normal manner. The results of the weekly grouping of the reactions are given in Table I. The general average of the 1,710 simple reactions is 273.1 a and of the 990 choice reactions is 334.5 It will be noted that the simple reaction time is very greatly lengthened (although it should be mentioned that the subject’s I'eactions were probably of a ‘ sensory ’ type), but that the choice reaction time is not correspondingly in- creased.“ The most striking results, however, are that the differences in time between the simple reactions and the choice reactions are very slight during the ninth and thirteenth weeks. The average variations Table I. Weekly Averages of Simple and Choice Reactions to Sound. Serial Weeks. I 2 3 4 6 9 13 Simple Reactions. Average. Av. Variation. No. Experiments. 299.0 79-7 120 209.2 53-3 100 208.3 41-5 100 224.0 48.0 610 282.9 62.6 100 3II.5 57-1 300 342.8 73-6 380 Choice Reactions. Average. Av. Variation. No. Experiments. 432.0 82.3 60 306.8 71.8 50 338.1 75-2 50 3'o4-5 55.8 330 308.5 47-1 50 313-4 48.5 240 357-6 24.7 210 Choice minus Simple Reaction. 133-0 97.6 129.8 80.5 25.6 1-9 14.8 are mostly comparatively greater than normal. It was to be expected, as is found to be the case, that both simple and choice reactions during the first week should be greater than with practiced subjects, although the patient had been practiced on the reaction movements for some days I Throughout this paper all figures will be given in thousandths of a sec- ond, i. e., (I = .001 sec. * Eight normal observers gave average simple reaction times from 120 c to 180(Wundt, Physiol. Psychol., III., 416). Tischer, in experiments upon choice reactions, similar to those made on my subject, obtained an average of 316 ff; the individual averages of his nine subjects varied from 293(1 to 357(1 (Wundt, op. cit.. III., 461).
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