Using Android Smartphones to Collect Precise Measures of Reaction Times to Multisensory Stimuli

Multisensory behavioral research is increasingly aiming to move beyond traditional laboratories and into real-world settings. Smartphones offer a promising platform for this purpose, but their use in psychophysical experiments requires rigorous validation of their ability to precisely present multisensory stimuli and record reaction times (RTs). To date, no study has systematically assessed the feasibility of conducting RT-based multisensory paradigms on smartphones. In this study, we developed a reproducible validation method to quantify smartphones' temporal precision in synchronized auditory-tactile stimulus delivery and RT logging. Applying this method to five Android devices, we identified two with sufficient precision. We also introduced a technique to enhance RT measurement by combining touchscreen and accelerometer data, effectively doubling the measure resolution-from 8.33 ms (limited by a 120 Hz refresh rate) to 4 ms. Using a top-performing device identified through our validation, we conducted an audio-tactile RT experiment with 20 healthy participants. Looming sounds were presented through headphones during a tactile detection task. Results showed that looming sounds reduced tactile RTs by 20-25 ms compared to static sounds, replicating a well-established multisensory effect linked to peripersonal space. These findings present a robust method for validating smartphones for cognitive research and demonstrate that high-precision audio-tactile paradigms can be reliably implemented on mobile devices. This work lays the groundwork for rigorous, scalable, and ecologically valid multisensory behavioral studies in naturalistic environments, expanding participant reach and enhancing the relevance of multisensory research.