CRI听力:People are Quicker When Reacting than When Initiating

Inspired by Hollywood cowboy films, researchers have delved into the science of gun fights. Scientists discovered that people move faster when reacting to something than when they perform "planned actions".

Chen Xi has the story.

In an experiment of these two types of movements carried out in Britain, scientists hope the findings will shed light on movement disorders.

Pairs of participants were put in a button-pressing competition with each other. Each was secretly given instructions of how long to wait before pushing a row of buttons.

However, results show that those who reacted to their opponent were on average 21 milliseconds faster than those who initiated the movement.

Dr Andrew Welchman from the University of Birmingham, who led the research, elaborates upon the result.

"So what we've found is that when people reacted to their opponent, they made their movements 20 milliseconds faster than if they have been making that movement as intention movement. So that suggests that there might be some advantages in responding to what's happening in the environment, it makes you a little bit quicker."

The scientists also want to find out if there are two different brain processes underlying the two different types of action.

They think there could be evidence for this in people with Parkinson's disease. (www.hXen.com)

Dr Welchman adds that there is evidence that Parkinson's patients are more impaired in intentional movement than in reactive ones.

Chen Xi, CRI News.