Reliability and Criterion Validity of a Novel Clinical Test of Simple and Complex Reaction Time in Athletes

Abstract

Slowed reaction time (RT) represents both a risk factor for and a consequence of sport concussion. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and criterion validity of a novel clinical test of simple and complex RT, called RT_din, in contact sport athletes. Both tasks were adapted from the well-known ruler drop test of RT and involve manually grasping a falling vertical shaft upon its release, with the complex task employing a go/no-go paradigm based on a light cue. In 46 healthy contact sport athletes (24 men; M = 16.3yr., SD = 5.0; 22 women: M age = 15.0yr., SD = 4.0) whose sports included soccer, ice hockey, American football, martial arts, wrestling, and lacrosse, the latency and accuracy of simple and complex RT_din had acceptable test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities and correlated with a computerized criterion standard, the Axon Computerized Cognitive Assessment Tool. Medium to large effect sizes were found. The novel RT_din tests have acceptable reliability and criterion validity for clinical use and hold promise as concussion assessment tools.