Does Reaction Time Change With Age?
Yes. In large adult samples simple reaction time is fastest in early adulthood and lengthens with age. One precisely timed study found about half a millisecond per year from 18 to 65; a UK survey of over 7,000 adults found little change until around 50, with choice reaction time slowing throughout adulthood. Responses also become more variable with age. Individual differences at every age are large.
The overall pattern
A reanalysis of 7,130 adults in the UK Health and Lifestyle Survey found that simple reaction time showed little slowing until around age 50, whereas choice reaction time, where you must pick between responses, slowed across the whole adult age range. A separate, precisely timed study of 1,469 adults aged 18 to 65 found simple visual reaction time increased by about 0.55 ms per year.
Speed is not the only thing that changes. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that adults aged 60 and over showed greater trial-to-trial variability in reaction time than younger and middle-aged adults, with larger age effects on choice tasks than on simple ones. Some, but not all, of that extra variability is explained by slower average responses.
Why reaction time changes with age
- Processing speed: one influential account of cognitive ageing holds that a general slowing of information processing underlies many age differences, including reaction time.
- Consistency: part of the rise in variability with age is explained by slower average responses, and part is not.
- Sleep and health: factors that affect reaction time at any age become more common with age.
These figures describe groups, not individuals. There is wide spread at every age, and a rested, practised attempt can beat a tired, distracted one regardless of age.
Tracking your own reaction time over time
Because the change is gradual and day-to-day noise is large, the useful comparison is with yourself. Take a five-round simple reaction time test on the same device, note the average, and repeat every few months under similar conditions. Look at the trend, not any single result.
How TAPP relates to reaction time and age
TAPP does not currently publish reaction time or tap speed figures by age. Its benchmarks page explains that age bands will only appear once enough anonymised TAPP data exists, and they will be labelled as such. In the meantime the browser reaction time test and Dodge mode give you a consistent way to practise and track your own results.
TAPP is a game and a skill challenge. It is not a medical assessment and nothing in it should be read as a health measurement.
Frequently asked questions
At what age is reaction time fastest?
Studies of adults find the fastest simple reaction times in early adulthood. One large survey found little slowing until around 50; another found a gradual increase of about half a millisecond per year from 18 to 65.
How much slower do reactions get with age?
One precisely timed study found simple reaction time rose by about 0.55 ms per year between 18 and 65. A UK survey found little change until around 50, followed by slowing, and choice reaction time slowed throughout adulthood. Variability also increases.
Can older adults improve their reaction time?
Performance on a practised task improves at any age, and being rested and alert helps on the day. Whether that transfers more broadly is still being studied.
Sources
- Der G, Deary IJ. Age and sex differences in reaction time in adulthood: results from the United Kingdom Health and Lifestyle Survey. Psychology and Aging, 21(1):62–73, 2006.
- Woods DL, Wyma JM, Yund EW, Herron TJ, Reed B. Factors influencing the latency of simple reaction time. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9:131, 2015.
- Dykiert D, Der G, Starr JM, Deary IJ. Age differences in intra-individual variability in simple and choice reaction time: systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 7(10):e45759, 2012.
- Salthouse TA. The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition. Psychological Review, 103(3):403–428, 1996.