Effect of Luminance and Duration of Interstimulus Interval upon Human Reaction Time

Abstract

Visual reaction times were recorded for paired flashes varying in luminance and duration of interstimulus interval, for three well-trained observers. The data indicated that there is a rough approximation to Bloch’s law at short flash separations but a greater departure from this relationship as flash separation increases. There is a gradual decrease over time, of the amount of flash energy from the second flash integrated to effect the behavioral response. The upper limit of integration for the low-luminance value was estimated to lie between 120 and 160 ms. The intensity–time relation found with the limits of this study was best described by a parabolic function of the form Rt = ax^b+c, where a and c are constants and b is a slope constant. The reaction time becomes longer as the duration of interstimulus interval increases. The well-established luminance function was found, where reaction time becomes shorter to increases of luminance.

© 1972 Optical Society of America

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