Reaction-Time (RT) Data Are Often Obtained by I/O Psychologists When

Essay

Reaction-time (RT) data are often obtained by I/O psychologists when evaluating equipment. RT scores are known to be positively skewed. Suppose a safety-mandated shield on a metal-stamping machine required a new configuration of buttons and levers used for emergency panic stops. Two new configurations are possible and experienced operators are used to evaluate them. Each operator tries both of the two configurations and a mean RT is obtained for each operator. What conclusion should the psychologists reach about the two configurations? $$\begin{array} { c c } { \text { Time in seconds } } \\\text { Configuration A } & \text { Configuration B } \\\hline 1.62 & 1.41 \\1.53 & 1.48 \\1.72 & 1.85 \\1.93 & 1.73 \\1.21 & 1.43 \\1.60 & 1.62 \\1.26 & 1.35 \\1.55 & 1.52 \\1.71 & 1.67\end{array}$$