Yes, there is a "reaction time" that is too fast to be legal. In fact, Linford
Christie of Great Britain was DQ'ed in the 1996 Atlanta Oly. 100 meters for two, too
fast starts. The technique involves a hardware timing system. The block pedals are
wired to be pressure sensitive. When the gun is fired a computer check is made with
each of the starting blocks to determine how soon the competitor left the blocks. If
the time is too quick then they must have anticipated and false-started. Such a
starting system declares false starts within 100ms of the gun's report. The USATF
and IAAF consider 100ms reaction times illegal. There is much debate within the track
community as to what is true "reaction time" as opposed to anticipation by the
competitor. Watch the leadup events to the Sydney games and The Games themselves, if
they'll show anything besides gymnastics and up-close-and-personal. Hope this helps.
Chuck
*************************************
Charles M. Huffman, Ph.D.
Chair, Psychology Department
Cumberland College
Williamsburg, KY 40769
*************************************
----- Original Message -----
From: Deb Briihl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, August 27, 1999 10:31 AM
Subject: Re: out of the blocks
>
> This is true - I remember this occurring at the Olympics in Atlanta. False
> starts can occur AFTER the gun shot (I am trying to recall the time). The
> English 100 meter runner was disqualified from running a race for 2 false
> starts (one of which occurred .08 sec after the gun shot). False starts are
> called at less than 1/10 sec. For most track races, this probably doesn't
> matter much, but for the 100 meter sprint, it obviously is a big issue. I
> believe that this is not limited just to track, but also to speed skating
> as well.
> >
> >Are you suggesting something _other than_ a rule such as, "Any reaction
> >time (or time to start) less than zero indicates a false start--leaving
> >before the starting gun has sounded. Any reaction time of zero or greater
> >seconds is accepted as a valid start."? For example, "Since it is
> >impossible to respond faster than .10 seconds, any start time faster than
> >that is considered a false start."?
> >
> >I checked my old copy of Underwood's (1966) _Experimental Psychology_, in
> >which an experiment by Raab (1962) is described. Looking at simple RT, the
> >lower limits of RT appear to be about 116 msec, though the RT varies as a
> >function of stimulus duration (the shortest RT in this study occurred with
> >50 msec stimulus duration), and stimulus intensity (faster with 60 dB
> >stimulus than 40 dB stimulus) (p. 254). Underwood also goes on to discuss
> >the potential problem with "false reactions:" E may also occasionally
> >insert a false trial by giving the ready signal but not giving the RT
> >stimulus. Or, as another technique, E may discard all responses which are
> >apparently too fast on the grounds that these could not have been initiated
> >by the RT stimulus. For example, Drazin (1961) discarded all responses to
> >a visual stimulus if the response--the RT--was 100 msec. or less, or if
> >they occurred before the RT stimulus" (p. 255). Woodworth and Scholsberg
> >(1954) discuss "RT as being composed of [an] "irreducible minimum," plus a
> >remainder...a "reducible margin" (p. 21). In subsequent calculations they
> >select "105 msec as a likely limit in this instance" (p. 21), which they
> >say was "chosen as a fair estimate."
> >
> >Do we DQ runners 'cause their start times are "too short" to have been
> >initiated by the starting gun (though still above zero)? Consider two
> >runners: A has a start time of .09 sec and an elapsed time of 10.09 (for a
> >_run_ time of 10.0 sec), and B has a start time of .11 sec and an elapsed
> >time of 10.15 (for a _run_ time of 10.04 sec). Both left the starting line
> >after the gun sounded, A got there sooner, and actually was running faster.
> >But do we DQ runner A because he/she left the blocks before some
> >"irreducible minimum" time of 105 msec (.105 sec), reasoning that A must
> >have jumped the gun?
> >
> >Frankly, I don't want to be the official at _that_ track meet! Might make
> >some psychological sense, but it'd be tough to explain it to runner A.
> >
> >Bob (whose time for getting to his office door following a knock might
> >approach 10.04 sec, but only with a tailwind)
> >
> >=======================================================================
> >Robert T. Herdegen III
> >Department of Psychology
> >Hampden-Sydney College
> >Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943
> >=======================================================================
> >
> >
> >
> >
> Deb
>
> Deborah S. Briihl There are as many
> Dept. of Psychology and Counseling ways to live as
> Valdosta State University there are people in
> Valdosta, GA 31698-0100 this world and each
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] deserve a closer
> Now in new Assoc. size! look..
> http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dbriihl
>
>
> You got so many dreams you don't know where to put them, so you better turn
> a few of them loose... Fire
>
>
>
