Practical 1. Your first data point
JXH-1104 Neuroscience of Sport Performance
Introduction
This module is about the journey a signal makes from your senses to your muscles, and everything the nervous system does along the way.
Before any lecture, we are going to time that journey. In an hour you will know the module; right now you only need a phone or laptop and a neighbour. Chat to that neighbour now (e.g., name, course, sport you care about). You are work partners for the next 45 minutes.
Aim
Measure your own reaction time and build the class’s first dataset.
Materials
- A phone or laptop with a touchscreen or mouse
- A work partner
- LINK 1 (or QR code 1) below to the form where you will submit your data
- LINK 2 (or QR code 2) below to the webpage where you will measure your reaction time
TASK 1
Before measuring anything, each of you answers Prediction in the form at the link (or QR code) below. Honest guess, no searching.
TASK 2
Work with your partner to measure your reaction time. One of you does the task while the other reads these steps and writes the numbers down. Then swap roles.
- Open LINK 2 on your phone or laptop (or use the QR code).
Read the instructions on screen: when the red screen turns green, tap or click as fast as you can.
Do 5 trials. Do not restart if a trial goes badly; that is part of the measurement.
After each trial the site shows that trial’s time before you click on. Your partner writes down every one of the five.
At the end the site shows your average. Your partner writes that down too, then circles the fastest of the five.
Note what you used: phone, laptop or tablet.
Swap roles and repeat.
Round 2. Do the whole test again, same hand, another 5 trials. This time only the new average is needed. Swap and repeat.
Before you submit, look at your two averages side by side. Same? Different? Hold that thought.
Submit
Open the form at link 1 again. This time answer Results:
Enter your round 1 average and fastest, your round 2 average, and your device. That is your first data point in this module.
What to notice
Discuss these with your partner first. Then we look at the anonymised class data on the screen together.
How much did the room disagree with itself? What is the gap between the fastest and slowest average in the class?
Was the class’s prediction close to what it measured? In which direction was it wrong?
Did phones and laptops give the same numbers? If not, who is right: the people, or the devices?
You measured yourself twice. Did you get the same answer? If your two averages differ by 20 ms, is one of them the “real” you?
A laboratory measurement of the same thing, with a finger resting on a key, comes out around 200–250 ms. Where does our class sit, and what might explain any difference?
If you have time
Your fastest trial is quicker than your average. Which of the two is the better description of you? Why might a coach prefer one and a scientist the other?
Compare your average with your partner’s. Is one of you faster, or is the difference small enough that a second set of five trials could flip it? What would convince you the difference is real? (Keep your answer; we return to it in Week 3.)