1. What is decision making?
What is the relationship between reaction time, movement time and response time?
What is Hick’s Law?

2. Decision Making Single Channel Hypothesis
Having used our memory to identify a stimulus...
Next stage is to make a decision of how to respond
Response Selection stage
Choice of what movement to do is made from information coded in the store
Once information starts the process it cannot leave until it has been completed
Single Channel Hypothesis
Until one stimulus has had a decision made another cannot be acted upon
There are 2 types of Decision Making...
Simple reaction time- only one action (100m runner choosing to start the race)
Choice reaction time- more than one option available (Player choosing what to do with the ball)

3. Reaction, movement and response
It is an advantage to a performer if they can recall information more quickly
Before reacting to a stimulus a player needs to
Receive information from the display
Code the information into relevant and irrelevant- selective attention
Make decision based- response selection
Initiate response by sending impulses to muscles
Top players look like they have more time on the ball
Their information processing is quicker
Decision making can be sped up by...
Practice
Coaching
Highlighting of relevant cues

4. Movement time - time taken to complete the task
Response Time
Reaction time – time taken from presentation of stimulus to onset of movement (no movement)
Movement time - time taken to complete the task
Response time – time taken from presentation of stimulus to completion of task
Reaction Time
Movement Time
Response Time

5. Influences on reaction time
Number of stimuli
The more choices which are available the slower the reaction time will be
100m runners have only one choice when they hear the gun- FASTER
A midfielder with a number of team mates to choose to pass to- SLOWER
Hick’s law
Describes relationship between number of choices available to you and reaction time.
Relationship is not linear
More choices makes reaction time slower
BUT Rate of increase in reaction time decreases as the number of choices increases
‘In a one on one situation a goalkeeper should stay standing
as forward already has numerous options and adding one
more will only increase reaction time by a small amount’
Hick’s Law test-
Sort the cards in piles according to-
Red or black (2)
Number value (3)
Suit (4)
Colour and Number (6)