Speed
Processing speed and reaction — how quickly you take in information and act on it.
Payoff: react sooner at the wheel or on the road, do mental arithmetic at the till without freezing, and answer in conversation without the awkward lag.
Train with these exercises
Mental Math SprintSolve as many problems as possible in timeTargets: ReactionReact to colored objectsChoice RT: SpeedTap in the arrow directionSDMT: Symbol→DigitEncode symbols by lookup tableANT: Attention Networks3 attention networks in one testCPT: Sustained AttentionRespond to all letters except X
All 48 trainers →Read the evidence
What a processing-speed score actually containsA timed response combines perception, decision, and movement rather than measuring one pure speed.Why faster is not always betterSpeed and accuracy change together because decisions require a chosen amount of evidence.Choice RT: SpeedTap in the arrow directionVisual SearchFind T among many LsHow we evaluate the evidenceProven: regular practice produces clear, measurable improvement on the trained skills, and several paradigms (e.g. speed-of-processing, working memory) show transfer to related real tasks.
Research references
- Hick, W. E. (1952). On the rate of gain of information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 4(1), 11–26. DOI: 10.1080/17470215208416600
- Salthouse, T. A. (1996). The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition. Psychological Review, 103(3), 403–428. DOI: 10.1037/0033-295X.103.3.403
- Schmiedek, F., Oberauer, K., Wilhelm, O., Süß, H.-M., & Wittmann, W. W. (2007). Individual differences in components of reaction time distributions and their relations to working memory and intelligence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 136(3), 414–429. DOI: 10.1037/0096-3445.136.3.414
- Ratcliff, R. (1978). A theory of memory retrieval. Psychological Review, 85(2), 59–108. DOI: 10.1037/0033-295X.85.2.59
- Palmer, J., Huk, A. C., & Shadlen, M. N. (2005). The effect of stimulus strength on the speed and accuracy of a perceptual decision. Journal of Vision, 5(5), 376–404. DOI: 10.1167/5.5.1
- Heitz, R. P. (2014). The speed-accuracy tradeoff: History, physiology, methodology, and behavior. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 8, 150. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00150
Continue with a program
⚡Reaction PROPilots · surgeons · dispatchers · drivers
For high-stakes jobs where a split second matters. Drills sustained attention (CPT), choice reaction, Go/No-Go inhibition and rapid visual scanning under time pressure. Expect lower lapse rates, faster correct responses and steadier vigilance during long, monotonous shifts.