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The present research used a startle amplitude reduction paradigm to investigate the ability of the rat's auditory system to track rapidly changing acoustic transients. Specifically examined was the ability of brief gaps in otherwise continuous noise to reduce the amplitude of a subsequently elicited acoustic startle reflex. The duration of the gap, time between gap offset and startle elicitation (the interstimulus interval or lSI), and rise-fall characteristics of the gap were systematically varied. Consistent with previous research, gaps reliably reduced startle amplitude. Gaps 2 msec long were reliably detected, and a 50-msec lSI resulted in the greatest amplitude reduction. Gaps presented at short ISIs produced amplitude reduction that followed a different time course than did gaps presented at longer ISIs. These results may reflect differences in the length of time available for the processing of the stimulus and may involve two different processes.

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Computer-based assessment has evolved to tablet-based devices. Despite the availability of tablets and "apps," there is limited research validating their use. We documented timing delays between stimulus presentation and (simulated) touch response on iOS devices (3rd- and 4th-generation Apple iPads) and Android devices (Kindle Fire, Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy) at response intervals of 100, 250, 500, and 1,000 milliseconds (ms). Results showed significantly greater timing error on Google Nexus and Samsung tablets (81-97 ms), than Kindle Fire and Apple iPads (27-33 ms). Within Apple devices, iOS 7 obtained significantly lower timing error than iOS 6. Simple reaction time (RT) trials (250 ms) on tablet devices represent 12% to 40% error (30-100 ms), depending on the device, which decreases considerably for choice RT trials (3-5% error at 1,000 ms). Results raise implications for using the same device for serial clinical assessment of RT using tablets, as well as the need for calibration of software and hardware.