Validating the Accuracy of Reaction Time Assessment on Computer-Based Tablet Devices

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Human-computer interaction
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Tablet devices are increasingly used for computer-based assessments.
• Limited research validates the accuracy of tablet-based response timing.
• Understanding timing delays is crucial for reliable data collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify timing delays between stimulus presentation and touch response on various tablet devices.
• To assess the impact of different operating systems and device models on response timing accuracy.
• To evaluate the implications for clinical reaction time (RT) assessments using tablets.

Main Methods:

• Timing delays were measured on iOS (Apple iPads) and Android (Kindle Fire, Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy) devices.
• Response intervals tested included 100, 250, 500, and 1,000 milliseconds (ms).
• Simulated touch responses were used to document timing errors.

Main Results:

• Google Nexus and Samsung tablets showed significantly higher timing errors (81-97 ms) compared to Kindle Fire and Apple iPads (27-33 ms).
• iOS 7 demonstrated lower timing error than iOS 6 on Apple devices.
• Simple reaction time trials (250 ms) exhibited 12%-40% error, decreasing to 3%-5% for choice RT trials at 1,000 ms.

Conclusions:

• Significant device-dependent timing discrepancies exist in tablet-based assessments.
• These errors can substantially affect the validity of reaction time measurements, especially in simple RT tasks.
• Calibration of software and hardware is essential for reliable clinical use of tablets in serial assessments.