Subject Gender, Knowledge of Results, and Receptor Anticipation

Abstract The effect of subject gender and knowledge of results (KR) on receptor anticipation (Poulton, 1957) was investigated. Twenty trials were given in which subjects (N = 80) attempted to time a preferred-hand button press response coincident with the lighting of the last of a series of runway lights illuminating in a pattern of apparent motion of 9 mph. Half of the subjects received quantitative KR after each trial and half performed without KR. Each group contained 20 males and 20 females. Mean absolute error, mean algebraic error, and variable error were calculated for each subject on the block of trials 2 to 5 and on the three subsequent 5-trial blocks. The dependent measures were then analyzed by means of separate 2 × 2 × 4 (Gender × KR × Blocks) ANOVAs with repeated measures on the last factor. The results indicated that the receptor anticipation of males was more accurate and less variable than that of females, and KR did not influence the accuracy of anticipations but was associated with highe...