Goal:
- Donder (in what is considered one of the first cognitive psychology experiments), wanted to figure out how long it takes for someone to make a decision

How:
- To measure decision time, Donder's measured the simple reaction time from a participant indicating a light went on and the choice reaction time from a participating choosing between which of two lights went on. After both measurements, the decision time was measured by subtracting simple decision time from choice decision time (in hopes of only leaving the time for the decision).

Equation:
- Decision time = choice reaction time - simple reaction time

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

How long it takes someone to become aware of a stimulus and make a decision about the stimulus. It is measured by the time from when a stimulus is present until a participant has signaled their decision. For example, it can be measured by taking the time from when one (out of two) lights goes on and the participant indicates which light went on (making a decision).

Choice reaction time

How long it takes to become aware of a stimulus. It is measured by when the participant signals they became aware. For example, it can be measured by taking the time between when a light goes on and a participant presses a button to indicate they saw it go on.

Simple reaction time

How long it takes someone to make a decision

Decision time

Goldstein, E. B. (2014). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience. Nelson Education.


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