Factors influencing the latency of simple reaction time

David L Woods, John M Wyma, E William Yund, Timothy J Herron, Bruce Reed, David L Woods, John M Wyma, E William Yund, Timothy J Herron, Bruce Reed

Abstract

Simple reaction time (SRT), the minimal time needed to respond to a stimulus, is a basic measure of processing speed. SRTs were first measured by Francis Galton in the 19th century, who reported visual SRT latencies below 190 ms in young subjects. However, recent large-scale studies have reported substantially increased SRT latencies that differ markedly in different laboratories, in part due to timing delays introduced by the computer hardware and software used for SRT measurement. We developed a calibrated and temporally precise SRT test to analyze the factors that influence SRT latencies in a paradigm where visual stimuli were presented to the left or right hemifield at varying stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). Experiment 1 examined a community sample of 1469 subjects ranging in age from 18 to 65. Mean SRT latencies were short (231, 213 ms when corrected for hardware delays) and increased significantly with age (0.55 ms/year), but were unaffected by sex or education. As in previous studies, SRTs were prolonged at shorter SOAs and were slightly faster for stimuli presented in the visual field contralateral to the responding hand. Stimulus detection time (SDT) was estimated by subtracting movement initiation time, measured in a speeded finger tapping test, from SRTs. SDT latencies averaged 131 ms and were unaffected by age. Experiment 2 tested 189 subjects ranging in age from 18 to 82 years in a different laboratory using a larger range of SOAs. Both SRTs and SDTs were slightly prolonged (by 7 ms). SRT latencies increased with age while SDT latencies remained stable. Precise computer-based measurements of SRT latencies show that processing speed is as fast in contemporary populations as in the Victorian era, and that age-related increases in SRT latencies are due primarily to slowed motor output.

Keywords: foreperiod; gender; handedness; hemisphere; motor; processing speed; replication; timing.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Stimuli and task. Stimuli were high-contrast bulls eyes presented to the left or right hemifield for a duration of 200 ms at randomized stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) that ranged from 1000 to 1800 ms in five 200 ms steps in Experiment 1, and from 1000 to 2000 ms in five 250 ms steps in Experiment 2. Stimuli could occur in the visual hemifield ipsilateral (shown) or contralateral to the responding hand. Subjects responded to all stimuli as rapidly as possible by depressing the mouse button with the index finger of their dominant hand (i.e., right-handed subjects depressed the left mouse button and left headed subjects depressed the right mouse button).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Simple reaction times (SRTs) as a function of age. From subjects in Experiment 1 (blue diamonds) and Experiment 2 (open red squares). Eight subjects from Experiment 1 with mean SRTs above 350 ms are not shown. The linear trend line is from Experiment 1 data.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Mean SRTs as a function of preceding SOA. From Experiment 1 and Experiment 2. Error bars show 95% confidence intervals. X, SOA step size (200 ms in Experiment 1 and 250 ms in Experiment 2).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Stimulus detection time (SDT) as a function of age. SDT was derived by subtracting the movement initiation time in a speeded finger tapping test from SRTs. The linear trend line is from Experiment 1 data.

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