Application of a virtual reality-based measurement of simple reaction time in adults: a psychometric evaluation

• Published in: Virtual reality : the journal of the Virtual Reality Society Vol. 29; no. 3; p. 108
• Main Authors: Chen, Ying-Chun, Liang, Huey-Wen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 11.07.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Cognitive ability; Computer Graphics; Computer Science; Correlation coefficients; Ethics; Helmet mounted displays; Image Processing and Computer Vision; Keyboards; Original Article; Personal computers; Portable computers; Quantitative psychology; Reaction time; Reliability; Software; User Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction; Validity; Virtual reality; Taiwan; Reliability; Simple reaction time; Attention; Virtual reality
• ISSN: 1434-9957; 1359-4338; 1434-9957
• DOI: 10.1007/s10055-025-01165-6

Reaction time (RT) is crucial for cognitive function and useful in research and clinical evaluation. A head-mounted display for virtual reality (HMD-VR) offers a consistent visual environment and may be effective for measuring RT. This study aims to determine the feasibility, reliability, and validity of using HMD-VR software to assess simple reaction time (SRT). Thirty healthy participants took part in the study, performing a 100-trial SRT test using a VIVE ProEye (HTC, Inc.). We analyzed the median SRT for each 25-trial block to observe any decrease in performance over time. The one-week reliability of median SRT was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for varying test lengths. We also compared the VR-based SRT with a PC-based SRT test (RehaCom® by HASOMED, Inc.) to evaluate convergent validity. The median SRTs for VR-based and PC-based tests were 326.0 ms and 319.5 ms, respectively. The VR-based method showed a significantly longer SRT in the final 25-trial block for the non-dominant hand. The ICC was 0.71 ( p  < 0.001), indicating good reliability. There was a high correlation (r = 0.85–0.89) and good agreement between the VR-based and PC-based tests, with the VR-based SRT being 9–10 ms longer, as shown by Bland–Altman plots. The study demonstrated good reliability and high convergent validity for HMD-VR-based RT testing. A 50-trial test is recommended as it strikes an optimal balance between minimizing performance decline and ensuring sufficient measurement reliability. This program can be used in future studies focusing on spatial-specific RT, providing a standardized environment.