Is reaction time different for long and short response durations in simple and choice conditions?

Abstract

Subjects pressed a key down as fast as possible but controlled the response duration of the keypress. The task required long (300 ±100 msec) and short (150±50 msec) durations in both simple (long only or short only) and choice (mixed long and short) conditions. Choice reaction time was slower than simple reaction time, but reaction time for long and short durations did not differ significantly for either simple or choice conditions. This finding fails to support a study by Klapp, Wyatt, and Lingo (1974) which found reaction time differences between long and short durations for choice but not simple conditions.