In each trial of an experiment, participants see a warning signal and then, a half second later, see a pair of letters. The participants press one button if the letters are the same (e.g., W W ) and a different button if the letters are different (e.g., P X ). In 80% of the trials, the warning signal is identical to the letters that will be shown on that trial. The following are the warning signals and the test stimuli presented on Trial 97 of the procedure: Group 1: warning signal = L; test pair = L L
Group 2: warning signal = U; test pair = L L
Group 3: warning signal = +; test pair = L L
In this setup we should expect the fastest responses from

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In Group 1, the warning signal and test pair are identical, so participants can prepare their response ahead of time and should respond the fastest. In Group 2, the warning signal is different from the test pair, so participants will need to take longer to determine whether the letters are the same or different. In Group 3, the warning signal is a plus sign, which does not provide any information about the test pair, so participants will need to take even longer to determine whether the letters are the same or different. Therefore, we should expect the fastest responses from Group 1 and the slowest responses from Group 3.

In Each Trial of an Experiment, Participants See a Warning