UNC EXSS 380 Exam 2 Study Guide With
Rationales Updated 2026/2027.
What processes sensory information ? - Answer Central Nervous System
What information is being provided to the CNS for processing? - Answer Sensory input from
periphery
How does the CNS respond to sensory input from periphery? - Answer Used to make
appropriate motor output
What phenomenon is the CNS considered to be & why? - Answer "Black Box"
- Internal processes are inferred (inability to measure internal processes)
What is one primarily focused on for information processing? - Answer Reaction Time
reaction time (RT) - Answer Temporal delay between presentation of stimulus and response
initiation
What is reaction time made up of? - Answer The three stages of information processing
What are the 3 stages of information processing? - Answer 1. stimulus identification
2. response selection
3. response initiation / programming
Stimulus Identification - Answer Stimulus must be recognized
What are the two substages of Stimulus Identification? - Answer 1. Stimulus Detection
2. Pattern Recognition
Stimulus Detection - Answer - Sensory organs must detect & transmit info
-Input must be interpreted
Pattern Recogniton - Answer - movement tasks connected w/ multiple stimuli
,Response Selection - Answer decision on what to do after collecting and processing
information
-Hick's Law: as # of stimulus-response alternatives increases, so does choice RT (can be reduced
by practice)
What is the response selection stage influenced by? - Answer environmental cues
What is the time required to select an appropriate response dependent on? - Answer 1. # of
stimulus-response alternatives
2. Stimulus-Response Compatibility
Response / Initiation Programming - Answer cannot be initiated until the stimulus is identified
& the appropriate response is selected
- most voluntary responses are received from "motor memory" (Feedfoward/motor programs)
-Henry & Rogers: as movement complexing increases, RT increases
What is the evidence of information processing? - Answer 1. Donder's Subtractive Method
What are the 3 tasks of increasing complexity in Donder's Subtractive Method? - Answer 1.
Simple Reaction Time
2. Go/No-go Reaction Time
3. Choice Reaction Time
Simple Reaction Time - Answer -Single visual stimulus
-Simple reaction task
-quickest RT
Ex: Press a key with right index finger following light stimulus
go/no-go reaction time - Answer - two light stimuli (discriminatory)
Ex: press button when green light shows but not red
choice reaction time - Answer two types of stimuli and two types of responses
-longest RT
EX: press button w/ left hand when there's green light; press button w/ right hand when there's
red button
, As movement complexity increases, Reaction time... - Answer increases
Who was the classical experiment of RT conducted by? - Answer Henry & Rogers (1960)
long-term memory - Answer sensory info & motor plans transferred to long-term storage via
practice
-large capacity allows for changes in motor programs
Short Term Sensory Store (STSS) - Answer - Unlimited information received, huge capacity,
held for brief periods of time
-contains somatosensory, auditory, visual stimuli, kinesthesia, etc.
Short-term memory - Answer "working memory"
-integrated and processed via conscious effort
-longer wait to recall joint position (proprioception) = cannot remember
where is info from STSS and long-term memory integrated? - Answer Short-term memory
what happens to sensory info in short-term memory during Response Selection Stage? - Answer
Info in short-term memory is integrated w/ info from long-term memory during choice RT
experiments
Cycle of Short-term memory - Answer 1. STSS : Sensory input to somatosensory cortex
2. Short-term memory: Solution gotten by integration of incoming & stored somatosensory info
3. Long-term memory: Stored "sensory memories" in Somatosensory Association Cortex
Open-Loop Processes - Answer - Movement "signals" are preprogrammed and executed
without consideration of feedback
- ignore sensory feedback during movement (not utilized during activation)
What does open-loop processes use prior to movement? - Answer Sensory info to help plan
movement
What does open-loop processes do at the end of movement? - Answer Process sensory info to
figure out how we can do better in future
Rationales Updated 2026/2027.
What processes sensory information ? - Answer Central Nervous System
What information is being provided to the CNS for processing? - Answer Sensory input from
periphery
How does the CNS respond to sensory input from periphery? - Answer Used to make
appropriate motor output
What phenomenon is the CNS considered to be & why? - Answer "Black Box"
- Internal processes are inferred (inability to measure internal processes)
What is one primarily focused on for information processing? - Answer Reaction Time
reaction time (RT) - Answer Temporal delay between presentation of stimulus and response
initiation
What is reaction time made up of? - Answer The three stages of information processing
What are the 3 stages of information processing? - Answer 1. stimulus identification
2. response selection
3. response initiation / programming
Stimulus Identification - Answer Stimulus must be recognized
What are the two substages of Stimulus Identification? - Answer 1. Stimulus Detection
2. Pattern Recognition
Stimulus Detection - Answer - Sensory organs must detect & transmit info
-Input must be interpreted
Pattern Recogniton - Answer - movement tasks connected w/ multiple stimuli
,Response Selection - Answer decision on what to do after collecting and processing
information
-Hick's Law: as # of stimulus-response alternatives increases, so does choice RT (can be reduced
by practice)
What is the response selection stage influenced by? - Answer environmental cues
What is the time required to select an appropriate response dependent on? - Answer 1. # of
stimulus-response alternatives
2. Stimulus-Response Compatibility
Response / Initiation Programming - Answer cannot be initiated until the stimulus is identified
& the appropriate response is selected
- most voluntary responses are received from "motor memory" (Feedfoward/motor programs)
-Henry & Rogers: as movement complexing increases, RT increases
What is the evidence of information processing? - Answer 1. Donder's Subtractive Method
What are the 3 tasks of increasing complexity in Donder's Subtractive Method? - Answer 1.
Simple Reaction Time
2. Go/No-go Reaction Time
3. Choice Reaction Time
Simple Reaction Time - Answer -Single visual stimulus
-Simple reaction task
-quickest RT
Ex: Press a key with right index finger following light stimulus
go/no-go reaction time - Answer - two light stimuli (discriminatory)
Ex: press button when green light shows but not red
choice reaction time - Answer two types of stimuli and two types of responses
-longest RT
EX: press button w/ left hand when there's green light; press button w/ right hand when there's
red button
, As movement complexity increases, Reaction time... - Answer increases
Who was the classical experiment of RT conducted by? - Answer Henry & Rogers (1960)
long-term memory - Answer sensory info & motor plans transferred to long-term storage via
practice
-large capacity allows for changes in motor programs
Short Term Sensory Store (STSS) - Answer - Unlimited information received, huge capacity,
held for brief periods of time
-contains somatosensory, auditory, visual stimuli, kinesthesia, etc.
Short-term memory - Answer "working memory"
-integrated and processed via conscious effort
-longer wait to recall joint position (proprioception) = cannot remember
where is info from STSS and long-term memory integrated? - Answer Short-term memory
what happens to sensory info in short-term memory during Response Selection Stage? - Answer
Info in short-term memory is integrated w/ info from long-term memory during choice RT
experiments
Cycle of Short-term memory - Answer 1. STSS : Sensory input to somatosensory cortex
2. Short-term memory: Solution gotten by integration of incoming & stored somatosensory info
3. Long-term memory: Stored "sensory memories" in Somatosensory Association Cortex
Open-Loop Processes - Answer - Movement "signals" are preprogrammed and executed
without consideration of feedback
- ignore sensory feedback during movement (not utilized during activation)
What does open-loop processes use prior to movement? - Answer Sensory info to help plan
movement
What does open-loop processes do at the end of movement? - Answer Process sensory info to
figure out how we can do better in future
