In masks we trust: explicit and implicit reactions to masked faces vary by political orientation.

Previous studies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that wearing a medical-style mask affects whether a stranger's face is judged as more trustworthy, socially desirable, or likely to be ill. However, given political controversies around mask use, these effects might vary by political orientation. In a pre-registered online experiment, we measured evaluations of trustworthiness, social desirability and perceived illness in masked and unmasked faces by 1241 British and US participants. We included questions on political orientation, along with the implicit online-VAAST approach/avoid task to test reaction times to masked/unmasked faces. There was a medium-sized effect of masks on trustworthiness and a significant interaction with political orientation, in that conservatives found masked faces less trustworthy than did liberals. Participants were quicker to approach masked than unmasked faces, but conservatives were relatively slower than liberals. The effects on trustworthiness suggest that differential moralization of novel social norms can affect how their adherents are evaluated in terms of their suitability for social interactions. Furthermore, the congruence between implicit and explicit methods implies that such differences can have deep-seated effects on reactions.

The reaction speed of sports athletes in different state levels / Comparação da velocidade de reação dos esportistas na partida da corrida de cem metros / Comparación de la velocidad de reacción de los deportistas en la partida de la corrida de cien metros

ABSTRACT Introduction: The start of a sprint race is one of its most important stages. The reaction time at the start lays a psychological foundation for normal performance and performance improvement in its next three stages. Objective: To research the reaction time of athletes in the starting stage of the 100-meters sprint race. This helps analyze the internal reaction mechanism of the body, which receives signals and responds to actions. Methods: We use a bibliographical research, experimental comparison, and mathematical statistics to study the starting reaction time of sprinters. Results: The starting reaction time of male and female sprinters was basically at the same level. Conclusion: The starting time of Chinese sprinters needs to be improved. 400-m sprinters, especially, should devote more training to their starting reaction time. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.

RESUMO Introdução: A partida é uma etapa importante na corrida de cem metros. A velocidade de reação no início estabelece a base psicológica para o desempenho normal e a melhoria do desempenho nas três fases seguintes. Objetivo: Investigar o tempo de reação de atletas no estágio inicial da corrida de 100 metros rasos. Isso ajudará a analisar o mecanismo de resposta interno do corpo, que recebe sinais e responde a ações. Métodos: Pesquisa bibliográfica com comparação experimental e estatísticas matemáticas para estudar o tempo de reação inicial de corredores. Resultados: O tempo de reação inicial de corredores do sexo feminino ou masculino foi basicamente o mesmo. Conclusões: O tempo de reação inicial dos corredores chineses precisa ser melhorado. Corredores dos 400 metros, especialmente, devem dedicar mais tempo de treinamento ao tempo de reação inicial. Nível de evidência II; Estudos terapêuticos - investigação de resultados de tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción: La partida es una etapa importante en la corrida de cien metros. La velocidad de reacción en el inicio establece la base psicológica para el desempeño normal y la mejoría del desempeño en las tres fases siguientes. Objetivo: Investigar el tiempo de reacción de atletas en la etapa inicial de la corrida de 100 metros. Esto ayudará a analizar el mecanismo de respuesta interno del cuerpo, que recibe señales y responde a acciones. Métodos: Investigación bibliográfica con comparación experimental y estadísticas matemáticas para estudiar el tiempo de reacción inicial de corredores. Resultados: El tiempo de reacción inicial de corredores del sexo femenino o masculino fue básicamente el mismo. Conclusiones: El tiempo de reacción inicial de los corredores chinos necesita ser mejorado. Corredores de 400 metros, especialmente, deben dedicar más tiempo de entrenamiento al tiempo de reacción inicial. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de resultados de tratamiento.

Theoretical models of reaction times arising from simple-choice tasks.

In this work we present a group of theoretical models for reaction times arising from simple-choice task tests. In particular, we argue for the inclusion of a shifted version of the Gamma distribution as a theoretical model based on a mathematical result on first hitting times. We contrast the goodness-of-fit of those models with the Ex-Gaussian distribution, using data from recently published experiments. The evidence of the results obtained highlights the convenience of proposing theoretical models for reaction times instead of models acting exclusively as quantitative distribution measurements.

Fatigue-life distributions for reaction time data.

The family of fatigue-life distributions is introduced as an alternative model of reaction time data. This family includes the shifted Wald distribution and a shifted version of the Birnbaum-Saunders distribution. Although the former has been proposed as a way to model reaction time data, the latter has not. Hence, we provide theoretical, mathematical and practical arguments in support of the shifted Birnbaum-Saunders as a suitable model of simple reaction times and associated cognitive mechanisms.