Abstract
Throughput is a corrected response rate measure giving the number of successes per unit of discretionary time. It is a simple but general index applicable to psychomotor, behavioral, and cognitive tasks in which response times are measured. This measure has several attractive features: (1) It allows comparisons to be made across various tasks in which speed and accuracy are meaningful and measurable, independently of temporal differences in hardware, software, and procedures; (2) under conditions in which both speed and accuracy decline (or improve), throughput will be a more sensitive index of performance than either alone will be; and (3) in those tasks in which the speed—accuracy trade-off phenomenon operates, throughput will tend to be relatively less variable than either component alone will be. The measure allows both behavioral and information-processing interpretations of data and may be useful as a simple composite index, a measure of effectiveness or of cognitive consistency in studies investigating performance degradation or enhancement.
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The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.
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R. Thorne, D. Throughput: A simple performance index with desirable characteristics. Behavior Research Methods 38, 569–573 (2006). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193886
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193886