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Cited by 89Motor Control and AdaptationNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesFree Will and Agency

Reaction times can reflect habits rather than computations

Open access
Wong, Aaron L, Goldsmith, Jeff, Forrence, Alexander D, Haith, Adrian M, Krakauer, John W·2017·eLife
DOI 10.7554/elife.28075PMC PMC5582865
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Abstract

Reaction times (RTs) are assumed to reflect the underlying computations required for making decisions and preparing actions. Recent work, however, has shown that movements can be initiated earlier than typically expressed without affecting performance; hence, the RT may be modulated by factors other than computation time. Consistent with that view, we demonstrated that RTs are influenced by prior experience: when a previously performed task required a specific RT to support task success, this biased the RTs in future tasks. This effect is similar to the use-dependent biases observed for other movement parameters such as speed or direction. Moreover, kinematic analyses revealed that these RT biases could occur without changing the underlying computations used to perform the action. Thus the RT is not solely determined by computational requirements but is an independent parameter that can be habitually set by prior experience.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Wong, A. L., Goldsmith, J., Forrence, A. D., Haith, A. M., & Krakauer, J. W.
Affiliations
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Columbia University (US)
Corresponding author
Wong, Aaron L
ORCID
Venue
eLife
Publisher
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Published
2017-07-28
Volume
6
ISSN
2050-084X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.7554/elife.28075
PMC
PMC5582865
OpenAlex
W2740004310
Cited by
89
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1
FWCI
3.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • eLife (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (BCS-1358756)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01-NS097423)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01-HL123407)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Free Will and Agency
Keywords
reaction time, motor habits, prior experience, movement initiation, motor control, kinematics, action preparation, decision-making
MeSH terms
Adult, Biomechanical Phenomena, Female, Habits, Humans, Male, Movement, Reaction Time, Task Performance and Analysis, Bias

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