From Serendip

TIME TO THINK? Collected Observations

From this page, you can access the database of observations submitted to Serendip by using the form below. You can also see the trend of the observations with regard to some simple questions.

As a reminder, these are the cases in the "Time to Think?" experiment:

Case 1	Think	Press the button when you see the black square
Case 2	Think-Act	Press the button when you see a black square but not when you see a white one
Case 3	Read-Think-Act	Do what the instructions say
Case 4	Read-Negate-Think-Act	Do the opposite of what the instructions say

Does it take time to act? How does your average time relate to the averages of other people's times?

As of now, we have %numsubj_Overall% data sets. The average reaction time (Case 1) is %avg_A%.

Does it take additional time to think?

As of now,	the average time for Case 2 is	%avg_TA%
	the average time for Case 3 is	%avg_RTA%
	the average time for Case 4 is	%avg_RNTA%

Does some mathematical manipulation help to clarify the answer?

Absolute times in all cases are sensitive to the particular computer being used for observations. One way to try to lessen variability in the data due to variations in computers is to use not the actual time values for Cases 2-4, but rather the ratios that result from dividing those times by the Case 1 time. By doing so, we express various thinking times as multiples of a baseline acting time.

As of now,	the average ratio of Case 2 to Case 1 is	%ratio_TA%
	the average ratio of Case 3 to Case 1 is	%ratio_RTA%
	the average ratio of Case 4 to Case 1 is	%ratio_RNTA%

Do you think the data are solid enough to draw strong conclusions regarding these questions? What other questions occur to you?

You can use this Serendip to develop your own research projects. If you do, we'd enjoy hearing from you about your results and your intepretation of them.