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Random fluctuations of response rate

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Abstract

A simple model for fluctuating interresponse times is developed and studied. It involves a mechanism that generates regularly spaced excitations, each of which can trigger off a response after a random delay. The excitations are not observable, but their periodicity is reflected in a regular patterning of responses. The probability distribution of the time between responses is derived and its properties are analyzed. Several limiting cases are also examined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Columbia University, USA

    William J. McGill

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  1. William J. McGill
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Additional information

This paper was completed while the writer was a visiting summer scientist at the Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Mass.

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McGill, W.J. Random fluctuations of response rate. Psychometrika 27, 3–17 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02289660

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02289660

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