Feature detection experiments
This site provides a gateway to several experiments that you can do yourself.
Running any of the programs will automatically create a file called prefs,
on your computer, that contains the all of the data
that you generate. These files are saved in a cvc format, which allows them
to be opened directly into Excel and most statistic packages.
The task is simple:
- Click on the link of the experiment you want to run.
- hit the button
to change file name to the current time and date.
- Click on the start button, and get ready!
- The task is to determine whether the array is uniform, i.e.
all the same letters or shapes, or if there is a different figure embedded
in the array someplace. If the array is uniform, hit the Z-key as quickly as possible.
If the array contains a differing figure, strike the ?-key as quickly as possible.
- After about fifty trials, you will be returned to the first screen.
Pressing escape will return you to this page. The data has already been
saved for you.
A note on the data file
In order to match the number of trials in each experiment, the first column of the data file is
a junk column, just used for counterbalancing. The information is contained in
rows in the following order:
- Counter-balancing term (junk)
- Type of array ("1" is first type of array, "0"is the second type)
- position of differing figure, if present
- This column contains a one if there was a differing figure,
and a 0 if the array is uniform
- This is the numerical value of the key that was pressed: "6" is the Z-key
(uniform array), and "44" is the ?-key (differing figure present)
- This is the reaction time for making the decision, in
sixtieths of a second (1/60)
A blue "O" in an array of red "O"s
9_red_Os.dcr
25_red_Os.dcr
A blue "O" in an array of blue "V"s and red "O"s
Feature Conjunction 9.dcr
Feature Conjunction 25.dcr