Whether in video games, in sports or on the road – good reflexes and quick reactions are crucial. But what influences our ability to react and how can it be trained? Max takes the reaction test!
Road traffic is hectic and stressful, and the risk of accidents is lurking everywhere. According to the Federal Statistical Office In 2022 there were 2.4 million registered road traffic accidents in Germany, over 350,000 injured and 2,782 fatalities. Could better responsiveness prevent accidents?
Our ability to react is the ability to recognize relevant signals in unexpected situations and to convert them into life-saving actions – such as slamming on the brakes when a child suddenly runs into the street. In doing so, we can rely on two basic programs of the brain: selection and generalization. Our brain is trained to separate the important signals from the general noise and it can always compare situations with the experiences already experienced or learned. An important role is played by the thalamus, which according to experts acts as a “doorman” and only lets through the essential signals – in contrast to the background noise of the sensory stimuli – for further processing. The signal is now forwarded to the areas of the brain that are busy planning and executing motor actions – in order to get your foot on the brake in the case of road traffic. There are different “currents” in the brain that process visual information differentlydepending on whether it is only about the perception of the information or about an action that should follow the perception.
Scientists of Department of Neurobiology at the German Primate Center in Göttingen investigate how movements are planned in the brain, for example to improve the hand functions of prostheses in paralyzed patients.
The average reaction time of young, healthy adults is between 250 and 500 milliseconds: Within this period of time, signals are registered by the eyes, processed in the right places in the brain and then translated into motor actions. And this speed can still be improved: sports such as table tennis or e-gaming show that a reaction time of 180 milliseconds is possible. In general, the higher the general fitness level of a person, the better able they are to react quickly. And especially on the road, it becomes apparent that the ability to react is only as good as the concentration. Response tests – such as those offered by traffic patrols nationwide – show how much distractions slow down the speed of reaction.
In the podcast “Big Questions in Ten Minutes”, MDR WISSEN reporter Karsten Möbius explains why our brain has abilities such as quick judgment and complex decision-making.