Reaction time is a simple behavior that includes the reception of sensory input, central processing of this information, and output of a programmed behavior.

In this experiment participants reacted to an auditory, tactile, or visual cue by grasping a falling ruler with the dominant or nondominant hand.

The data were collected in a nonstandard environment by untrained students and therefore should not be construed as accurate. It was just a fun exercise to learn about a simple behavior, flow of information in the nervous system, and research methods.

Hover over the edge of a box to observe quartile and whisker values.

library(plotly)
library(tidyverse)
dat <- read.csv("Reaction Time.csv")
dat2 <- dat %>%
  mutate(Cue = recode(Cue,
                      A = "Auditory",
                      T = "Tactile",
                      V = "Visual")) %>%
  mutate(Hand = recode(Hand,
                       D = "Dominant Hand",
                       N = "Nondominant Hand")) %>%
  mutate(RT = ((RT * 2)/981)^.5 * 1000) %>% # convert cm to ms
  group_by(Subject, Cue, Hand) %>%
  summarise(RT = mean(RT))

plot_ly(dat2, x = ~Cue, y = ~RT, color = ~Hand, type = "box", 
        boxpoints = "all", jitter = 0.3, pointpos = 0) %>%
  layout(boxmode = "group",
         yaxis = list(title = "Reaction Time (ms)"),
         xaxis = list(title = "Sensory Modality of Cue"),
         legend = list(x = 0.75, y = .95))