Sensorimotor Basics
Define reaction time as used in the ruler-drop experiment
Reaction time: the interval between presentation of a stimulus and initiation of the person’s response; computed in the ruler-drop experiment by converting drop distance into time.
In the ruler-drop activity, what type of motion is the ruler undergoing?
Free-fall under gravity.
What is a trial in the context of the ruler-drop experiment?
A single repetition of the experimental procedure (one ruler drop)
According to the flight physiology slides, what percentage (roughly) of aviation accidents are related to human factors?
More than 70%.
According to the slides, approximately how old is the universe?
About 14 billion years
hat is a stimulus? Give one visual and one audible example from the materials.
Stimulus: any event or signal that elicits a sensory response. Visual example: object released within view (ruler drop). Audible example: a beep.
Write the kinematic equation provided in the materials that relates displacement, initial velocity, acceleration, and time.
Kinematic equation from text: D=D0+v0t+1/2at2
Why do multiple trials improve reliability of reaction-time data?
Multiple trials average out random variation and allow computation of mean and measures of spread; increases confidence and reliability.
What does the SHEL model stand for? Give each component.
SHEL: Software, Hardware, Environment, Liveware.
Define a light-year in words (use the slide wording).
Light-year: the distance that light travels in one year (≈ 6 trillion miles)
Explain sensorimotor processing and how reaction time reflects its speed.
Sensorimotor processing: sequence where sensory input is perceived, processed, and converted to motor output; reaction time indicates how quickly this sequence occurs.
If a ruler falls from rest and travels a distance d under gravity, which variable(s) in the kinematic equation are zero?
If dropped from rest, v0=0v0=0. If measuring displacement from initial position, D0 can be taken as 0.
Define measurement error and name two sources of measurement error listed in the materials.
Measurement error: difference between measured value and true value due to instrument limits, technique, or human factors. Sources: inconsistent finger placement on ruler, parallax when reading, reaction to visual vs. audible cue differences.
Define liveware failure and list three types (from sudden to subtle) described in the slides.
Types include sudden vs. subtle incapacitation; total vs. partial; recognized vs. unrecognized.
What is a galaxy as defined in the slide content?
Galaxy: an assembly of stars and related matter and gas held together by mutual gravity.
Distinguish between latency and reaction time as used in experiments and aviation contexts.
Latency: short delay between stimulus and observable start of response; often used interchangeably with reaction time but can emphasize detection vs. full response initiation in some contexts.
Using the kinematic relation from the text, explain how one would rearrange to solve for reaction time given measured distance and known acceleration due to gravity. (No numeric calculation required — describe the algebraic steps.)
With v0=0 and D0=0, equation becomes D=1/2at2. Solve for t. t is equal to the square root of 2d divided by gravity. That t is the reaction time.
How is a classroom average (mean) used to represent group reaction-time performance? Give one limitation of using the mean for reaction-time data.
Classroom average: arithmetic mean of reaction times for the group to describe central tendency. Limitation: mean is sensitive to outliers; skewed data may be better summarized with median
Describe how poor control placement (ergonomics) could increase reaction time and potentially contribute to incidents.
Poor placement increases time to perceive warnings and reach controls, adding movement and decision time; this elevates reaction time and the likelihood that a series of incidents leads to an accident.
Name the four terrestrial planets listed and two characteristics that distinguish terrestrial planets from gas giants
Terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars. Characteristics: rocky composition, smaller size, higher density, closer to star; gas giants are mostly gas, much larger, and less dense.
Describe how response complexity affects reaction time; give a real-world aviation example tying to control placement.
Response complexity increases processing and motor planning steps, increasing reaction time. Aviation example: simple button press vs. multi-step control adjustment — the latter takes longer; poor placement of controls increases search and movement time
The materials recommend consistent units. If a student measures distance in centimeters and uses g=980 cm/s2g=980 cm/s2, explain why that is correct and what would happen if they incorrectly used g=9.8 m/s2g=9.8 m/s2 without converting distance.
Using centimeters with g=980 cm/s2 keeps units consistent (distance in cm). If a student uses g=9.8 m/s2 without converting cm to m, the computed time will be off by a factor of 100 (unit mismatch), yielding incorrect results
Explain one method students could use to reduce random variability and one method to reduce systematic error in the ruler-drop experiment.
Reduce random variability: increase number of trials and participants. Reduce systematic error: calibrate ruler scale, ensure consistent starting position and measurement method, convert units properly.
Using concepts from both documents, propose a short experimental design (outline only) to test whether an audible cue or a visual cue produces faster reaction times for a cockpit-like task. Include: independent variable, dependent variable, and one control.
Example design: IV — cue type (audible vs. visual); DV — reaction time measured by ruler-drop analog task or timed control response (seconds). Controls: same participants across conditions or randomized groups, uniform lighting, identical instructions, same distance/setup, consistent units. Include multiple trials and compute mean and reliability measures.
The slides mention the Hubble Space Telescope seeing about 10 billion light years. Briefly explain why astronomers need both telescopes like Hubble and different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum (hint: relate to how we detect signals across large distances).
Telescopes like Hubble collect light and allow observation of distant objects; different wavelengths reveal different processes (e.g., radio sees cool gas, X-rays show energetic phenomena). Using multiple parts of the spectrum provides a fuller picture since some signals are absorbed or redshifted over large distances.