PsyRTDevice: Open-source toolkit for sub-millisecond evaluation of reaction time device accuracy
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PUBLIC SUMMARY
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We introduce an open-source toolkit for fast, convenient assessment of reaction time device precision.
PsyRTDevice uses sound-wave technology to achieve sub-millisecond accuracy within 10 minutes of testing.
Evaluation of 20 devices reveals substantial variability in response delays (7.58–47.46 ms) and precision.
Low-precision devices yield longer absolute RTs but do not significantly affect cognitive effect magnitudes.
PsyRTDevice enables transparent reporting of device accuracy, enhancing experimental rigor and replicability.
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ABSTRACT
Reaction time (RT) measurement—the interval between stimulus onset and response—provides a crucial window into cognitive processing speed and neural efficiency. Although widely used across cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science, systematic validation of RT measurement devices remains scarce due to high testing costs and the lack of accessible toolkits. Here, we introduce PsyRTDevice, an open-source toolkit employing sound-wave technology to assess RT measurement latency and variability with sub-millisecond precision and within 10 minutes. Our evaluation of 20 popular wired and wireless response devices revealed substantial variability in response latency and precision. Comparing cognitive task performance between the most and least precise devices across three classic cognitive tasks showed that the lower-precision device consistently yielded longer RT measurements, but differences in device precision did not significantly affect cognitive effects based on RT differences (i.e., between conditions). Hierarchical drift diffusion modelling further revealed that these device-related differences primarily impacted non-decision time. PsyRTDevice thus offers researchers and educators an accessible toolkit to quantify device response latency and variability, supporting informed device selection and enhancing experimental rigor in RT-based research. -
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REFERENCES
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Tang N., Li A., Chen B., et al. (2025). PsyRTDevice: Open-source toolkit for sub-millisecond evaluation of reaction time device accuracy. The Innovation Informatics 1:100017. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-inform.2025.100017
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Tang N., Li A., Chen B., et al. (2025). PsyRTDevice: Open-source toolkit for sub-millisecond evaluation of reaction time device accuracy. The Innovation Informatics 1:100017. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-inform.2025.100017
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Figure 1.
Illustration of the PsyRTDevice measurement method based on sound waves
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Figure 2.
Recording delay distribution across 20 different reaction time devices measured with PsyRTDevice
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Figure 3.
Procedures of the three cognitive tasks used to evaluate device performance
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Figure 4.
Comparison of behavioral performance and HDDM parameters between the most precise device (gamepad) and least precise device (keyboard) across three cognitive tasks
