Franciscus Donders

Franciscus Donders was a Dutch psychologist and physician in the 19th century, known for his pioneering work in cognitive psychology. He is best recognized for developing reaction time experiments that helped understand the speed of mental processes. Donders distinguished between different types of mental tasks, such as simple and choice reaction times, leading to insights about decision-making and how the brain processes information. His work laid the foundation for experimental psychology, influencing how researchers study cognition and the speed of mental operations today.