Gunslinger effect

The gunslinger effect, also sometimes called Bohr's law or the gunfighter's dilemma, is a psychophysical theory which says that an intentional or willed movement is slower than an automatic or reaction movement.[1] The concept is named after physicist Niels Bohr, who first deduced that the person who draws second in a gunfight will actually win the shoot-out.[2]

Photo of Niels Bohr, an older man
Physicist Niels Bohr is credited with creating the theory.

Bohr's experiment

Danish physicist Niels Henrik David Bohr came up with the hypothesis after watching Western films, which frequently depicted the protagonist drawing after his opponent in a gunfight and winning. He hypothesized that a person reacting might move faster than their opponent, who moved deliberately.[3] Bohr and his students staged mock gunfights using toy guns to test this hypothesis, with apparently uncertain results.[4] Bohr suggested that, to the extent the hypothesis is true, the logical alternative to a gunfight would be a peaceful settlement, since neither gunslinger would want to draw first knowing that they would lose.[2]

Experimental evidence

Later research confirmed the basic hypothesis,[5] showing that intentional movements and reaction movements were controlled by two separate systems,[6] and that it was not confined merely to hand or arm movements.[7] The gunslinger effect applies to the initial reaction, not later limb control, but there is no trade-off between that early reaction and later targeting accuracy.[8]

One study conducted at the University of Birmingham found that subjects moved 10% faster when reacting rather than acting with intention.[9] However, the study also found that reactive movements were less accurate than intentional ones, and that the increased movement speed did not make up for the initial delay. Because of this, the authors of the study felt that the increased speed would not confer much advantage in a gunfight, although it may be advantageous in other situations.[10][11]

Some later studies found that although volunteers' reactions were faster than deliberate actions during simple one-step tasks, this advantage was not present in more complex, multi-step actions.[12][13] Furthermore, the effect was reversed when volunteers were presented with a choice of action, with reacting volunteers moving more slowly.[12]

A 2020 study did find that Bohr's law held true during full-body actions, and was not confined to simple one-handed tasks.[14]

Applications

The comparison between reaction times and deliberate movement speed has applications for sports and dueling.[14] A 2014 study conducted with two groups, karate practitioners and people without karate training, found that reactions were faster than intentional movements, regardless of training.[15]

See also

References
  1. Casimir, Hendrik (1983). Haphazard Reality – Half a Century of Science. New York: Harper and Row. pp. 97–99. ISBN 978-0-06-015028-0.
  2. Feilden, Tom (3 February 2010). "The gunfighter's dilemma". BBC. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  3. "Why does the gunslinger who draws first always get shot?". Science. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  4. Pinto, Yaïr; Otten, Marte; Cohen, Michael A.; Wolfe, Jeremy M.; Horowitz, Todd S. (1 February 2011). "The boundary conditions for Bohr's law: when is reacting faster than acting?". Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. 73 (2): 613–620. doi:10.3758/s13414-010-0057-7. ISSN 1943-393X. PMID 21264708. S2CID 33851189.
  5. La Delfa, Nicholas J.; Garcia, Daniel B. L.; Cappelletto, Jessica A. M.; McDonald, Alison C.; Lyons, James L.; Lee, Timothy D. (2013). "The gunslinger effect: why are movements made faster when responding to versus initiating an action?". Journal of Motor Behavior. 45 (2): 85–90. doi:10.1080/00222895.2012.746283. ISSN 1940-1027. PMID 23441650. S2CID 16573345.
  6. Weller, Lisa; Kunde, Wilfried; Pfister, Roland (1 April 2018). "Disarming the gunslinger effect: Reaction beats intention for cooperative actions". Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 25 (2): 761–766. doi:10.3758/s13423-018-1462-5. ISSN 1531-5320. PMID 29623572. S2CID 4887720.
  7. Wakatsuki, Tsubasa; Yamada, Norimasa (2020). "Difference Between Intentional and Reactive Movement in Side-Steps: Patterns of Temporal Structure and Force Exertion". Frontiers in Psychology. 11: 2186. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02186. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 7495094. PMID 33013564.
  8. Roberts, J. W.; Lyons, J.; Garcia, D. B. L.; Burgess, R.; Elliott, D. (24 May 2016). "Gunslinger Effect and Muller-Lyer Illusion: Examining Early Visual Information Processing for Late Limb-Target Control". Motor Control. 21 (3): 284–298. doi:10.1123/mc.2015-0079. ISSN 1087-1640. PMID 27218800.
  9. "Good guys draw faster in gunfights – but not fast enough". The Guardian. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  10. Mackenzie, Debora (3 February 2010). "Draw! The neuroscience behind Hollywood shoot-outs". New Scientist. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  11. Sample, Ian (3 February 2010). "Gunslinger reactions a matter of life and death". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  12. Pinto, Yaïr; Otten, Marte; Cohen, Michael A.; Wolfe, Jeremy M.; Horowitz, Todd S. (1 February 2011). "The boundary conditions for Bohr's law: when is reacting faster than acting?". Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. 73 (2): 613–620. doi:10.3758/s13414-010-0057-7. ISSN 1943-393X. PMID 21264708. S2CID 33851189.
  13. Roberts, James W.; Lyons, James; Garcia, Daniel B. L.; Burgess, Raquel; Elliott, Digby (1 July 2017). "Gunslinger Effect and Müller-Lyer Illusion: Examining Early Visual Information Processing for Late Limb-Target Control". Motor Control. 21 (3): 284–298. doi:10.1123/mc.2015-0079. ISSN 1087-1640. PMID 27218800.
  14. Wakatsuki, Tsubasa; Yamada, Norimasa (2020). "Difference Between Intentional and Reactive Movement in Side-Steps: Patterns of Temporal Structure and Force Exertion". Frontiers in Psychology. 11: 2186. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02186. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 7495094. PMID 33013564.
  15. Martinez de Quel, Oscar; Bennett, Simon J. (March 2014). "Kinematics of self-initiated and reactive karate punches". Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 85 (1): 117–123. doi:10.1080/02701367.2013.872222. ISSN 0270-1367. PMID 24749243. S2CID 43195963.
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