Processing Speed > Reaction Time

Under Pressure

Screenshot of HappyNeuron Pro exercise Under Pressure

Please note that you can only play the exercise once on this page. See the free trial section below for full access!

Processing Speed > Reaction Time

Under Pressure

In this exercise, the user will be shown three stimuli (a red circle, a black cross, and a letter) on different spots on the screen. The goal of this exercise is to determine quickly whether the red circle appears above or below the black cross.

Brain Areas Engaged 

Learn more about this exercise:

The parietal cortex is the main brain area involved in visual-spatial skills. However, this exercise also trains your visual scanning and visual attention skills.

Visual-spatial skills are a set of mental processes that allow us to perceive, interpret and act on visual stimuli in our environment. “Visual” refers to environmental information that we take in through our eyes. “Spatial” refers to where things are in three-dimensional space. The location of an object can be described in relation to one’s own body (viewer-centered spatial information) or in relation to other objects in the environment (object-centered spatial information).

Often, we aren’t even aware that we are using our visual-spatial skills. As a result, we tend to take these skills for granted. Although visual-spatial skills seem to occur “automatically” and “effortlessly”, they are actually very complex abilities that involve a number of different brain regions. Visual-spatial skills should not be thought of a single, unitary ability. Rather, they represent a diverse set of skills that have different functions in daily activities.

In everyday life, you need to take into consideration the size, shape, and angles of objects in order to judge their distance in relation to you. Judging distance and depth (e.g. how far is it from my hand to that cup?), judging velocity (speed) (e.i. how fast is that car moving toward me?), and judging size (e.g. will these leftovers fit in that container?) are questions that also rely on skills practiced in this exercise.

You can modify:

  • The number of stimuli (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, or 50)
  • The time of letter display on the screen (1500, 800, 600, 400, or 200 milliseconds)
  • The time of cross display on the screen (1500, 800, 600, 400, or 200 milliseconds)
  • The time of circle display on the screen (1500, 800, 600, 400, or 200 milliseconds)
  • The time lapse between stimuli (0, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1000 milliseconds)
  • The distance between stimuli (very easy, easy, medium, hard, or very hard)
  • The disrupting element (without or with)

Over 103,000 unique exercise configurations and significant data set depth.

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Other reaction time exercises:

Two-Timing

Categorization, pattern recognition

Catch the Ladybug!

Visual attention, inhibition

Ready, Steady, Count!

Verbal memory, reasoning

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