Meyer D E, Osman A M, Irwin D E, Yantis S
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109.
Biol Psychol. 1988 Jun;26(1-3):3-67. doi: 10.1016/0301-0511(88)90013-0.
Mental chronometry, in which conclusions about human information processing are reached through measures of subjects' reaction time, has contributed substantially to studies of cognition and action. During the evolution of the chronometric paradigm, several key issues have emerged. The issues concern (a) the existence of separable processing stages, (b) the degree to which various stages of processing produce partial outputs before they are completed, and (c) the discrete versus continuous form of the outputs. To obtain added temporal resolution, new reaction-time procedures have been developed, including special response-priming and speed-accuracy decomposition techniques that focus on quantitative patterns of reaction-time distributions and error rates. The present article summarizes these developments, starting with a historical review of chronometric research and proceeding to a survey of recent empirical and theoretical innovations. We also discuss the relevance and potential future impact of complementary work by cognitive psychophysiologists on event-related brain potentials and other physiological variables.
心理计时法通过测量受试者的反应时间得出有关人类信息处理的结论，为认知与行动研究做出了重大贡献。在计时范式的发展过程中，出现了几个关键问题。这些问题涉及：（a）可分离处理阶段的存在；（b）处理的各个阶段在完成之前产生部分输出的程度；（c）输出的离散形式与连续形式。为了获得更高的时间分辨率，人们开发了新的反应时间程序，包括特殊的反应启动和速度-准确性分解技术，这些技术关注反应时间分布和错误率的定量模式。本文总结了这些进展，首先对计时研究进行历史回顾，接着对近期的实证和理论创新进行综述。我们还讨论了认知心理生理学家在事件相关脑电位和其他生理变量方面的补充工作的相关性及其未来潜在影响。
