Influence of Enforced Motor and Sensory Sets on Reaction Latency and Movement Speed

Abstract

Requiring a performer to consciously attend to the components of a well-learned movement response, rather than to the stimulus which evokes the response is referred to as enforced motor set. The present study tested the prediction that enforced motor set results in longer reaction and movement times than does enforced sensory set (concentrating on the stimulus). Thirty right-handed male college students were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 enforced sets. Before performing under the influence of either set, each subject was pretested first on the reaction portion of the novel task and then on the movement portion. Following the pretest, each subject performed the reaction-movement time task as a whole in accordance with the set he was randomly assigned to. The ANCOVA revealed that the data supported the prediction being tested for reaction time, but not for movement time.