In terms of sensing and then responding, a sprinter reacts to a starting gun in about 150 milliseconds.
I googled many sites and couldn't find a precise answer.
Psychologists and neuroscientists now know that thoughts travel at different speeds depending on the type of thought, how well established (trained) the particular thinking skill is, how much emotion or rationality is required, whether the thought is conscious or unconscious, and so on.
In learning a new task or in creating something original, the cognitive processes may be much slower, until experimentation has proved what works. Practice gradually improves speed and accuracy. With some tasks, ceasing to think and just allowing the body to do what it knows how to do is much quicker and more efficient - hence a martial artist needs to be able to enter the "zone" to function at his or her best. We do this when we eat with a knife and fork or write - hardly noticing the brain's instructions in moving the body - yet cognition and micro instructions are flowing all the time.
I've noticed that when I think consciously with internal language, it's far slower than thinking in blocks of concepts such as visualisations, remembering sensory experiences, planning a series of tasks within a task (say cooking a meal or preparing a garden bed for veggies). If I'm talking, I can observe sub-thoughts being evaluated, deleting the unnecessary or least important, selecting the best, queues of thoughts & words waiting, choosing words and word order, and finally adjusting the nuances of expression - and finally, adjusting cadence, tone and vocalisation as the thoughts are finally spoken. While this is going on, I'm also watching the listener's facial responses, trying to gauge their level of attentiveness, interest, comprehension and reactions - and might adjust if necessary. One thing I've learned is few people can handle more than about 1 to 3 fairly short sentences. So already, this response to the question is far too long. Not many would read it.
People on the autism spectrum have difficulty in choosing selective attention from amid all the stimuli that flood in. People with ADHD experience erratic signals; sense perceptions just drop out without any control. "Normal" individuals vary in their average speed of processing both in general and across different kinds of tasks.
Cognition is an immensely complex process, and is controlled by hierarchies of importance. In an emergency, the amygdala kicks in with adrenaline, speeds up cognition but reduces rational thought - hence we may react inappropriately if angry or scared (triggered) by an unconscious reaction or social or emotional threat rather than a physical danger. The amygdala sends an emotional message about 100,000 times faster than a conscious thought. That's how watching the body's feelings can help us be more aware of what's really going on inside us.
This post was edited by inky at November 3, 2023 2:37 AM MDT
It isn't the same for everyone. Early education teachers can attest to that fact. Processing time differs. That is why the kids slow to raise their hand with an answer to teacher's question may be the most brilliant ones in the class. As kids age it becomes evident in a foot race. At ready-set-go the fastest runner may always be a fraction of a second slower to start. This is an interesting thing that I've given attention for many years.
inky 