Latency
Also called: response latency
Definition
The elapsed time between the onset of a stimulus, such as an instruction, and the beginning of the response that follows it. It measures how quickly responding starts, not how long it continues.
In plain language
The wait between asking and the person starting. It measures how long it takes them to begin, not how long they keep going.
Examples
A learner began putting on their coat six seconds after being asked, so the latency was six seconds.
Staff recorded how long it took a learner to start work after each instruction.
Not latency
Timing the whole task from start to finish, which is duration rather than the wait before beginning.
The gap between two separate responses by the same learner. That is interresponse time.
Commonly confused with
See also
Written from
- baer-wolf-risley-1968
Written from standard measurement practice in applied behavior analysis. No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.