Scientific Foundation · Calibration Specs

Technical & Scientific Methodology

BrainBenchmarks is engineered to eliminate browser rendering discrepancies and quantify cognitive-motor functions using established neuro-computational models.

01. Millisecond-Accurate Paint Sync Calibration

Standard browser reaction timers initiate time-captions during a state trigger, letting the browser queue and paint the visual state change asynchronously. This introduces a variable latency jitter of 8ms to 32ms depending on GPU scheduling and screen refresh rates.

BrainBenchmarks resolves this by measuring reaction triggers using a double-nested requestAnimationFrame (rAF) loop. The start timestamp is locked only when the browser confirms the paint buffer has updated, matching real-world photon emission delays.

// Visual trigger paint synchronization
requestAnimationFrame(() => {
  requestAnimationFrame(() => {
    startTime.current = performance.now();
  });
});

02. Hick's Law (Choice & Decision Latency)

Hick's Law states that the time it takes to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of alternatives:

RT = a + b · log₂ (n)

In our Choice Reaction Test, n = 4. This logarithmic increase represents prefrontal cortex stimulus-classification delays. We calibrate this by subtracting the participant's simple reaction time base to measure pure decision-overhead.

03. Fitts's Law (Spatial Aim Precision)

Fitts's Law predicts that the time required to rapidly move to a target is a function of the ratio between the distance to the target and the width of the target:

MT = a + b · log₂ (2D / W)

Our Aim Precision Trainer logs pinpoint coordinate offsets (sub-pixel distances from target center) and target acquire latency. This indexes the efficiency of the motor-cortex feedback loops governing spatial control.

04. Auditory Low-Latency Web Audio API

Playing compressed audio formats like .mp3 or .wav via HTML5 <audio> elements triggers decoder setup overhead and buffer delay.

Our Sound Reflex Test synthesizes a pure 750Hz sine tone directly on the audio hardware thread using the Web Audio API OscillatorNode. This minimizes audio emission delay to sub-millisecond ranges.

05. Miller's Law (Working Memory)

Miller's Law states that the average human short-term working memory span can hold approximately 7 items or "chunks" (7 ± 2).

The Sequence Memory Test evaluates this boundary. By chunking coordinate lists into visual shapes, patterns, or vectors, participants can bypass Miller's Law limits and reach higher levels.