Psychologists investigating human-automation interaction studied the reaction times of trainee drone pilots when an unexpected obstacle (a flock of birds) suddenly appeared on their flight telemetry screens. The researchers wanted to investigate whether trainees made rapid, semi-autonomous evasive maneuvers, as suggested by cognitive models of expert visual attention.
They collected data from 150 trainee drone pilots who were tested in a high-fidelity flight simulator. The researchers recorded the duration, in seconds, from the moment the obstacle appeared on screen to when the trainee initiated a corrective steering input.
The reaction times were classified into four categories:
| Reaction time category | Percentage (%) of trainees |
|---|---|
| Under 0.5 seconds | 16 |
| 0.5 to 1.5 seconds | 48 |
| 1.5 to 3.0 seconds | 24 |
| More than 3.0 seconds | 12 |
Calculate the ratio of those trainees who initiated corrective action in under 0.5 seconds to those trainees who took between 1.5 and 3.0 seconds.
You must express the ratio in its lowest whole numbers.
638 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Methods. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.