Millisecond Forums

How fast can subject's button presses be recorded?

https://forums.millisecond.com/Topic36111.aspx

By nidhi_desai - 4/4/2024

Hi, 
We have a task with free button presses allowed for a left and right buttons on a button box. In the data we see a few subjects with very high response rates like 20 responses per second. Is it possible that Inquisit recorded the data with only 75-100ms between each left button response because the person pressed the button and never let it go?

Also, Is there a lower limit faster than which Inquisit cannot record each button press? If there is a lower limit and a subject goes faster than that, does Inquisit still record the press just at a later time than the actual press?
BTW, we use Cedrus RB 740 response pad.
By Dave - 4/4/2024

 
nidhi_desai - 4/4/2024
Hi, 
We have a task with free button presses allowed for a left and right buttons on a button box. In the data we see a few subjects with very high response rates like 20 responses per second. Is it possible that Inquisit recorded the data with only 75-100ms between each left button response because the person pressed the button and never let it go?

Also, Is there a lower limit faster than which Inquisit cannot record each button press? If there is a lower limit and a subject goes faster than that, does Inquisit still record the press just at a later time than the actual press?
BTW, we use Cedrus RB 740 response pad.

The rate is certainly possible if somebody mashes the respective buttons. The rest is impossible to answer based on the little information you provided. There's no code, you don't say anything about how you've configured the response pad, whether you use its XID mode or not, etc.

However, things like "[I]s it possible that Inquisit recorded the data with only 75-100ms between each left button response because the person pressed the button and never let it go?" seem easy enough to figure out by just trying to do that yourself and seeing how your particular setup behaves. Did you do that and if not, why not?