Effects of Angular Acceleration on Man: Choice Reaction Time Using Visual and Rotary Motion Information

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Abstract
This experiment was concerned with the effects of rotary acceleration on choice reaction time (RTc) to the motion of a luminous line on a cathode-ray tube. Specifically, it compared the RTc to rotary acceleration alone, visual acceleration alone, and simultaneous, double stimulation by both rotary and visual acceleration. 13 airline pilots were rotated about an earth-vertical axis in a precision rotation device while they observed a vertical line. The stimuli were 7 rotary and visual accelerations which were matched for rise time. The pilot responded as quickly as possible by displacing a vertical controller to the right or left. The results showed a decreasing RTc with increasing acceleration for all conditions, while the RTc to rotary motion alone was substantially longer than for all other conditions. The RTc to the double stimulation was significantly longer than that for visual acceleration alone.