Influence of Motor and Sensory Sets on Reaction Latency and Speed of Discrete Movements

Abstract

College men and women were tested as to reaction time and speed of an arm movement using both motor-oriented and stimulus-oriented set. The results confirmed a hypothesis based on neuromotor coordination theory that predicted slower movement and greater reaction latency when the motor set was used. However, the 20 percent of subjects who had a natural motor set tendency moved faster with an enforced motor set than with an enforced sensory set. The conditions of enforced set caused a moderate positive correlation between reaction and movement times. Women subjects reacted and moved slower than men, but were similarly influenced by the two enforced set conditions. Their natural set tendency was definitely stimulus-oriented, while men tended to have a neutral orientation.