It's better to react than act

SteveF · 02-05-2010, 05:16 PM

Interesting:

Quote:

Have you ever noticed that the first cowboy to draw his gun in a Hollywood Western is invariably the one to get shot? Nobel prize–winning physicist Niels Bohr did, once arranging mock duels to test the validity of this cinematic curiosity. Following Bohr's example, researchers have now confirmed that people move faster if they are reacting to another person's movements than if they are taking the lead themselves. The findings may one day inspire new therapies for patients with brain damage, the team speculates.

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi...ull/2010/203/1

Pavlov's Dog · 02-05-2010, 05:24 PM

That is interesting.

damian · 02-05-2010, 05:33 PM

i'm not sure of the applicability to an actual gun duel. moving faster does't necessarily mean making up for the head start they have for drawing first. reaction time alone can be long enough to already be shot.

Febble · 02-05-2010, 05:53 PM

Makes sense. Reaction times are shorter to exogenous than endogenous cues.

boba123 · 02-05-2010, 05:57 PM

Aren't a great deal of the Marshal Arts dedicated to reacting?

Koyaanisqatsi · 02-05-2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Febble

Makes sense. Reaction times are shorter to exogenous than endogenous cues.

I love it when you talk dirty.

King Rat · 02-05-2010, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Although players reacting to an opponent's draw completed the sequence more quickly, they still didn't win the duel because the increase in speed wasn't sufficient to make up the time they lost by starting later.

Kind of moots the whole thing a bit.

damian · 02-05-2010, 07:39 PM

man i just made that up without even reading the article. i should be a scientist.

JEROME DA GNOME · 02-05-2010, 10:37 PM

Neat, thanks for posting that.

Species8472 · 02-06-2010, 07:30 PM

See, scientists do also answer important questions!

jasona · 02-07-2010, 11:06 PM

You could prove the same thing by watching an Olympic epee competition. Reaction and counter attack wins the point more often than not.

02-05-2010, 05:24 PM	#798143 / #2
Pavlov's Dog Great White Hope Ambassador Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 13,410	That is interesting. __________________ You can't fix what elephants do. *Any private messages sent to this member will not automatically be considered confidential.*

02-05-2010, 05:33 PM	#798159 / #3
damian assistant treasurer TR Secretary Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 14,865	i'm not sure of the applicability to an actual gun duel. moving faster does't necessarily mean making up for the head start they have for drawing first. reaction time alone can be long enough to already be shot. __________________ You were right. - SteveF I don't really know. - SteveF Oh yeah, how the fuck did I miss that. - SteveF Steve, I have to side with Damian here. - Athene, on SteveF I am partial to a bit of fisting. - SteveF you've got a point there damian - SteveF

02-05-2010, 05:53 PM	#798193 / #4
Febble wysiwyg Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: UK Posts: 27,979	Makes sense. Reaction times are shorter to exogenous than endogenous cues. __________________ ..."the brain-liquefying implausibility of supernatural designers reaching into embryos with quantum diddlin'-sticks..." - damitall

02-05-2010, 05:57 PM	#798198 / #5
boba123 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: On an Island of Paradise within a sea of Iniquity Posts: 2,322	Aren't a great deal of the Marshal Arts dedicated to reacting? __________________ "Labor Day's the last Monday in May, moron." = MattShizzle - http://talkrational.org/showthread.p...772#post914772-- "Gotta run...it's been fun. Cheers" = Dave Hawkins - http://talkrational.org/showthread.p...117#post949117-- "Ignore the assholes. Assholes are the price we pay for being able to tell assholes they are assholes." = Febble - http://talkrational.org/showthread.p...599#post958599

02-05-2010, 07:39 PM	#798343 / #8
damian assistant treasurer TR Secretary Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 14,865	man i just made that up without even reading the article. i should be a scientist. __________________ You were right. - SteveF I don't really know. - SteveF Oh yeah, how the fuck did I miss that. - SteveF Steve, I have to side with Damian here. - Athene, on SteveF I am partial to a bit of fisting. - SteveF you've got a point there damian - SteveF

02-05-2010, 10:37 PM	#798630 / #9
JEROME DA GNOME THE JUGGERNAUT Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Land of Pleasant Living Posts: 11,953	Neat, thanks for posting that. __________________ What a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious.

02-06-2010, 07:30 PM	#799504 / #10
Species8472 Persistence is futile Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 1,376	See, scientists do also answer important questions! __________________ "Education: that which reveals to the wise, and conceals from the stupid, the vast limits of their knowledge." -Mark Twain

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