1850, Hermann von Helmholtz succeeded in measuring the speed of the nerve impulse and found it to be much slower than previously believed, at between fifty and one hundred meters per second in humans. This finding was followed by intensive investigation of the nervous system within the framework of the physical and biological sciences. It also opened the door to the use of reaction time as a tool in the study of thought and perception processes (as we saw on the first day of class!).
This experiment is an attempt to familiarize you with the general logic used by a psychologist who is interested in measuring the speed of a psychological even that cannot be directly observed. To accomplish this, you must first understand the experiment that Helmholtz performed and also how his experimental technique can be applied to the measurement of the speed of the nerve impulse in humans.