Movement Duration,Fractionated Reaction Time,and Response Programming

The purpose of this study was to determine how the manipulation of movement duration affects components of fractionated reaction time and presumably motor programming. Twelve subjects, in a simple reaction time paradigm, responded to an auditory signal by executing an elbow flexion movement in the sagittal plane through a range of motion of 100° in 150, 300, 600 and 1200 ms. Results indicated no changes in motor time but small increments in premotor and reaction time through the 600 ms condition. At 1200 ms, reaction time increased faster than premotor time, and this appeared to be predominantly a consequence of an increment in motor time. These data were interpreted to be supportive of the notion that movement duration is related to response complexity and the time required for motor programming.