Competitive Reaction Time Task

Background

The Competitive Reaction Time Task (CRTT) is a laboratory-based behavioral test used to measure human aggressive behavior. It simulates a multi-player reaction time game and provides so a safe, ethical way for researchers to study aggression without putting participants in real danger. The CRTT is based on the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP) designed by psychologist Stuart Taylor in 1967 to study how alcohol consumption influences human aggression in a controlled environment. Researchers updated the terminology to "CRTT" to more accurately describe the cover story ('a competitive reaction game') told to participants.

Participants playing the CRTT are told that they are playing a competitive reaction time game against another person (often a "confederate" or a made-up opponent such as a computer persona). In each trial, both the participant and the 'opponent' must press a button as fast as possible when a visual cue appears. The person who is slower to press the button loses the trial and is "punished" with a noxious stimulus, such as a burst of loud noise. The crucial part is that the participant sets the duration and/or intensity of the punishing stimulus for the co-player at the start of the trial.

The task is often rigged to allow participants to win about 50% of the time, so they can experience both winning and losing. Researchers frequently use the game to study reactive aggression, testing how people escalate their punishment levels in response to perceived provocations from their opponent.

The Millisecond computer implementation of the CRTT allows researchers to control the punishing behavior of the 'computer' persona during three different stages of the game as well as rigg the winning performance of the participant. The CRTT game can be played by only varying the intensity of the punishing stimulus, the duration of it or both.

Task Procedure

After learning about the rules of the CRTT and experiencing example levels of the punishing stimulus (a blast of a noise stimulus), the program attempts to 'find' a partner for the participant (here: the computer). The participant and the computer then play 25 game trials (one start trial and 3 phases of 8 trials each). At the start of each trial, both the participant (and the computer) have to decide the settings of the intensity and/or duration of the punishing sound they want to inflict on the losing party (10 levels each). Once a player has decided on the settings, they are asked to press the 'Ready' button. When both players have pressed the 'Ready' button, the target box (sitting in the center of the screen) turns from green to yellow. This color change is the cue to pay attention and be ready to respond. Once the target box turns red, the game is on and the players need to click/touch the target box as fast as possible. Depending on the rigged settings of the game, the player or computer wins the round (unless player takes longer than 700ms, the default value at which point the response time is deemed too long to be valid and results into an automatic loss for the participant). The 'punishing' selections of the opposite party get revealed to the participant at the end of the trial.

The current default punishing settings (durations and intensity) of the computer increase from phase1 to phase3. In phase 3 the mean punishing level for duration and intensity is 8.5 (out of 10).

What it Measures

The Competitive Reaction Time Task (CRTT) measures (reactive) aggression.

Psychological domains

• Aggression: Behavior intended to harm another individual
• Emotion Regulation: A person's ability to control emotional responding to incoming stimuli
• Inhibitory Control/Anger Management: Ability to overwrite one's initial emotional reactivity to aversive punishment

Main Performance Metrics

• retaliationScore: overall mean retaliation score (composite score based on selected duration/intensity)
• retaliationScore by phase: mean retaliation scores for each of the three phases

Psychiatric Conditions

The following patient groups show higher reactive aggression when tested with the CRTT

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
• Conduct Disorder
• Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) & Psychopathy
• Substance Use & Dependency Patients

Test Variations

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Competitive Reaction Time Task.

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Epstein, S., & Taylor, S. (1967). Instigation to aggression as a function of degree of defeat and perceived aggressive intent of the opponent. Journal of Personality, 35, 265–289.

Bushman, B. J. (1995). Moderating role of trait aggressiveness in the effects of violent media on aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 950-960.

Anderson, C.A. & Dill, K.E. (2000). Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and in Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 772-790.

Anderson, C. A., & Carnagey, N. L. (2009) Causal effects of violent sports video games on aggression: Is it competitiveness or violent content? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 731-739.

Denson, T.F., von Hippel, W., Richard I. Kemp, R.I. & Teo, L.S. (2010). Glucose consumption decreases impulsive aggression in response to provocation in aggressive individuals. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 1023–1028.

Denson, T. F., Capper, M. M., Oaten, M., Friese, M., & Schofield, T. P. (2011). Self-control training decreases aggression in response to provocation in aggressive individuals.Journal of Research in Personality, 45, 252-256.