The term yardstick refers to what is a normal response. It really has nothing to do with a yardstick and can be used in many situations. A yardstick is a measurement that has been tested over and over and than that measurement becomes the standard. Say the yardstick for a reaction time is 5 seconds Meaning that is what a normal healthy person can do it in. Joan has the reaction in 4.8 second. Well she is on the the bell curve and did better than the yardstick test measure.
