Variability of reaction time and susceptibility to automobile accidents

Abstract

A reactometer was employed in making simple reaction-time measurements on a sample of 104 Radio Patrol Officers. This measured the time required for the subject to move his foot from an "accelerator" pedal to a "brake" pedal in response to a small, red stimulus light. Data were analyzed by means of tetrachoric correlations, analysis of variance, and a modified t-test. The results of the study do not substantiate the hypothesis that variability of reaction time is positively correlated with susceptibility to automobile accidents under the conditions employed here. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)