The round builds a habit, then asks you to break it
In a go/no-go round most signals want a press. Repeated go signals can make pressing feel automatic, so a no-go signal asks you to interrupt that response.
The rest want nothing. They look different: an orange lamp with a bar, not a green lamp with a dot. Holding back on those is the whole task.
A stop signal round starts each trial with a cue to press. On some trials, the lamp turns orange after a delay from that cue. Try to cancel the response if the stop signal arrives before you press.
Read the response times and the error counts together. They describe that round, and can change when your pace changes.
Two rounds by the same person
The careful round held back on every one of the twenty signals that wanted nothing. Its median press time on the go signals was 410 ms.
The quick round was 122 ms faster on the go signals. Six of the twenty got a press that should not have come.
One number alone does not tell you which round was better. Responding faster can lead to more false presses, and taking more time can help you hold back. These two examples do not prove that changing pace caused the difference.
That is why both numbers are recorded, and why the practice never gives you one score.
One steady pace
You are halfway through a round and two signals to hold back on have slipped past you.
You could slow right down for the rest of it, or keep the pace you had.
Try it
Two no-go signals have slipped past. What do you do for the rest of the round?
- Slow right down so none of the rest get through
- Keep a steady pace
Show the answer
Keep a steady pace
Correct. Both numbers are recorded, so a steady pace gives you two readings you can compare with your next round.
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Practice Go/no-go test