MODULE 1
EXPERIMENTS
● Stroop task
○ Purpose: Measures cognitive interference and attention by testing how
automatic processes (like reading) can interfere with controlled processes (like
identifying ink color).
○ Procedure: Participants must name the ink color of words, where the color and
the word might or might not match.
● Flanker test
○ Purpose: Assesses selective attention and the ability to focus on relevant
stimuli while ignoring distractions.
○ Procedure: In this task, participants are asked to respond to a central target
stimulus while ignoring surrounding "flanker" stimuli. The flanker stimuli can be
congruent or incongruent with the target.
● Implicit Association test
○ Purpose: Measures implicit attitudes or biases by observing how quickly people
associate different concepts (e.g., good vs. bad) with categories (e.g., Black vs.
White, or male vs. female).
○ Procedure: Participants are asked to categorize words or images quickly into
pairs of concepts. The reaction times are measured to infer implicit biases.
● GO-noGO
○ Purpose: Tests response inhibition and self-control.
○ Procedure: Participants are instructed to respond to certain stimuli (Go trials)
and withhold responses to others (No-Go trials). It's used to measure impulse
control and attentional processes.
BASICS
● Advisor → Provides warnings and optimization tips to refine your experiment setup.
● Output Window → Displays runtime messages, errors, or debugging feedback.
● Toolbox → Contains experiment components (E-objects) to design tasks and stimuli.
● Experiment Explorer → Visualizes the structure and hierarchy of your experiment (e.g.,
task sequence, linked events).
● Session Procedures (Workspace) → The main canvas for arranging tasks, stimuli, and
experiment logic.
E-OBJECTS
● Procedure → Defines the order of tasks and events in the experiment. Session
proc = default, runs entire experiment once.
, ● List → defines trial characteristics like
stimuli content, correct responses, and
conditions.
○ Each row represents a trial
○ Columns for attributes.
○ Lists have three fixed columns: Weight
(specifying how often an item repeats),
Nested (for nested lists), and Procedure
(for calling specific procedures).
Tab selection in properties window → use it to order presentation of items in list
- Selection tab in the Properties window controls the order of item presentation.
- Sequential: Items are presented in the order they appear in the list.
- Random: Items are presented in random order, once only.
- Random with replacement: Items are presented randomly, possibly multiple
times.
- Counterbalance: One item presented based on participant/session/group
settings for counterbalancing stimuli.
- Offset: Items are presented sequentially, starting from the specified item in the
Order By field.
- Permutation: All possible sequences are presented, one per run based on the
Order By field.
● Image/Text/Movie Display → Presents visual stimuli such as images,
text, or videos.
○ Filename on the general tab of property pages. One picture at a time can be
displayed, if multiple, you must use slide
○ Enter text you want to present on the general tab
○ Filename on the general tab of property pages. Can play mpg/wmv.
EXPERIMENTS
● Stroop task
○ Purpose: Measures cognitive interference and attention by testing how
automatic processes (like reading) can interfere with controlled processes (like
identifying ink color).
○ Procedure: Participants must name the ink color of words, where the color and
the word might or might not match.
● Flanker test
○ Purpose: Assesses selective attention and the ability to focus on relevant
stimuli while ignoring distractions.
○ Procedure: In this task, participants are asked to respond to a central target
stimulus while ignoring surrounding "flanker" stimuli. The flanker stimuli can be
congruent or incongruent with the target.
● Implicit Association test
○ Purpose: Measures implicit attitudes or biases by observing how quickly people
associate different concepts (e.g., good vs. bad) with categories (e.g., Black vs.
White, or male vs. female).
○ Procedure: Participants are asked to categorize words or images quickly into
pairs of concepts. The reaction times are measured to infer implicit biases.
● GO-noGO
○ Purpose: Tests response inhibition and self-control.
○ Procedure: Participants are instructed to respond to certain stimuli (Go trials)
and withhold responses to others (No-Go trials). It's used to measure impulse
control and attentional processes.
BASICS
● Advisor → Provides warnings and optimization tips to refine your experiment setup.
● Output Window → Displays runtime messages, errors, or debugging feedback.
● Toolbox → Contains experiment components (E-objects) to design tasks and stimuli.
● Experiment Explorer → Visualizes the structure and hierarchy of your experiment (e.g.,
task sequence, linked events).
● Session Procedures (Workspace) → The main canvas for arranging tasks, stimuli, and
experiment logic.
E-OBJECTS
● Procedure → Defines the order of tasks and events in the experiment. Session
proc = default, runs entire experiment once.
, ● List → defines trial characteristics like
stimuli content, correct responses, and
conditions.
○ Each row represents a trial
○ Columns for attributes.
○ Lists have three fixed columns: Weight
(specifying how often an item repeats),
Nested (for nested lists), and Procedure
(for calling specific procedures).
Tab selection in properties window → use it to order presentation of items in list
- Selection tab in the Properties window controls the order of item presentation.
- Sequential: Items are presented in the order they appear in the list.
- Random: Items are presented in random order, once only.
- Random with replacement: Items are presented randomly, possibly multiple
times.
- Counterbalance: One item presented based on participant/session/group
settings for counterbalancing stimuli.
- Offset: Items are presented sequentially, starting from the specified item in the
Order By field.
- Permutation: All possible sequences are presented, one per run based on the
Order By field.
● Image/Text/Movie Display → Presents visual stimuli such as images,
text, or videos.
○ Filename on the general tab of property pages. One picture at a time can be
displayed, if multiple, you must use slide
○ Enter text you want to present on the general tab
○ Filename on the general tab of property pages. Can play mpg/wmv.
