Between-Day Reliability of Visuomotor Response Times Under Stroboscopic Conditions Varying in Difficulty.

Abstract

Stroboscopic training (ST) effectively enhances visuomotor performance in athletes, yet the dose-response relationship between ST difficulty and performance remains unclear. This study investigated the influence of ST difficulty on visuomotor response times (RTs) and assessed the reliability of RTs under stroboscopic vision.Twenty-two healthy young individuals performed a visuomotor response task on three separate days, responding to light-based stimuli under normal and stroboscopic vision at three difficulty levels (FAST = 6 Hz; MEDIUM = 4 Hz; SLOW = 2.25 Hz). Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) and Coefficients of Variation (CoV) assessed relative and absolute reliability. Repeated measures ANOVAs examined the effects of difficulty (NORMAL, FAST, MEDIUM, SLOW) and session day (I, II, III) on RTs.Results showed significantly slower RTs at higher difficulty levels (p < .001), while session day had no significant effect. Reliability analysis revealed good to excellent relative reliability for NORMAL, FAST, and MEDIUM conditions, but moderate reliability for SLOW. Absolute reliability was acceptable across all conditions (<5%).These results suggest a dose-response relationship between ST difficulty and RTs. The inter-individual variability in RTs under stroboscopic vision highlights the need for individualized ST difficulties. The high reliability scores suggest that performance changes following ST stem from functional adaptations rather than habituation.