Last Modified: January 12, 2025 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC
This script implements a computerized version of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Tower of London Test. The Tower of London Test is a test of excutive functioning with a focus on planning abilities.
10 minutes
Participants are asked to arrange up to five discs of varying sizes on three different pegs in a specific solution pattern in as few moves as possible and observing two movement rules: "Only move the top disc" and "bigger discs may not be placed on top of smaller discs". This test is timed.
• 9 problems total with various number of discs
disc1 = smallest to disc5 = largest disc
• each problem is timed (script automatically quits the trial after the allotted time is used up)
-> to edit timings go to section Editable Lists (list.maxdurations)
• script quits after 3 unsuccessful (= target state was not achieved within the time limit)
consecutive problems (first one excluded from count)
• one attempt per problem
Problem 1 & 2 (but not problem 3-9)
Feedback Prompts:
if the optimal solution wasn't presented, the computer plays an 'optimal solution video'
Rule Reminders provided:
•for the first violation of each rule: a reminder of the rule is provided, and the previous set-up restored
•for subsequent violations: only a 'Violation' reminder is provided and the previous set-up restored
•see section Editable Stimuli, different base/peg/disc images can be used (iin that case positions of
base/pegs/discs may have to be adjusted)
•the current and goal states of each disc can be edited under section Editable Lists)
Instructions are provided by Millisecond. They are adapted from the D-KEFS Tower Test to the computer.
Instructions use problem set 1 as an example (similarly to the original D-KEFS tower instructions).
File Name: towertest_d_kefs_summary*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| inquisit.version | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| computer.touch | 0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities |
| computer.hasKeyboard | 0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected |
| startDate | Date the session was run |
| startTime | Time the session was run |
| subjectId | Participant ID |
| groupId | Group number |
| sessionId | Session number |
| elapsedTime | Session duration in ms |
| completed | 0 = Test was not completed 1 = Test was completed |
| totalScore | Score achieved across the whole set of test problems. Computed as the sum of individual problem scores. Maximum is 30 in the standard version. |
| problemNumber | Last problem number (1-9) that was attempted |
| meanFirstMoveTime | Mean first move time (in ms); based on all recorded first move-times |
| meanSolutionTime | Mean solution time (in ms) - across all attempts |
| meanExecutionTime | Mean execution time (in ms) - across all attempts |
| meanPlanningTime | Mean planning time (in ms) - across all attempts |
| meanCorrSolutionTime | Mean solution time (in ms) - across successful attempts only |
| meanCorrExecutionTime | Mean execution time (in ms) - across successful attempts only |
| meanCorrPlanningTime | Mean planning time (in ms) - across successful attempts only |
| timePerMoveRatio | Mean amount of time (in ms) spent on each move (ratio of totalCompletionTime over the number of moves made) |
| moveAccRatio | Number of moves made in relationship to the number of optimal moves 1 = participant made only the number of optimal moves (but may NOT have solved the problems) |
| moveAccRatioCS | Number of moves made in relationship to the number of optimal moves (only calculated for solved problems) 1 = participant made only the optimal moves for the problems solved |
| countViolationsTotal | Counts the number of rule violations across problems |
File Name: towertest_d_kefs_raw*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| build | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| computer.touch | 0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities |
| computer.hasKeyboard | 0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected |
| date | Date the session was run |
| time | Time the session was run |
| subject | Participant ID |
| group | Group number |
| session | Session number |
| blockcode | The name the current block (built-in Inquisit variable) |
| blocknum | The number of the current block (built-in Inquisit variable) |
| trialcode | The name of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable) |
| trialnum | The number of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable) trialnum is a built-in Inquisit variable; it counts all trials run even those that do not store data to the data file. |
| problemNumber | Current problem number (1-9) |
| nDiscs | Stores the number of discs present in the current problem |
| maxDuration | Stores the allotted maximum duration (in ms) for the current problem |
| targetAchieved | Returns 1 as soon as the subject has successfully reached a given problem's target / goal state. Otherwise 0. |
| targetMoves | Number of prescribed (minimal) moves to solve the current problem. |
| subjectMoves | Number of subject-performed moves for the current problem. each rule violation counts as one extra move in this script (the correction of the violation is not counted as a move) |
| excessMoves | Returns the difference between number of moves performed by the subject ('subjectMoves') and the number of target moves for a given problem. |
| achievementScore | Score awarded for solving the current problem. Problem1-2: 0 (no solution), 1 (non-optimal solution), 2 (optimal solution) problem3-4: 0 (no solution), 1 (>= ideal movements + 2), 2 (= ideal movements + 1), 3 (optimal solution) problem5-7: 0 (no solution), 1 (>= ideal movements + 3), 2 (= ideal movements + 2), 3 (= ideal movements + 1), 4 (=optimal solution) problem 8: 0 (no solution), 1 (>= ideal movements + 5), 2 (= ideal movements + 3/4), 3 (= ideal movements + 1/2), 4 (=optimal solution) problem 9: 0 (no solution), 1 (>= ideal movements + 7), 2 (= ideal movements + 4/5/6), 3 (= ideal movements + 1/2/3), 4 (=optimal solution) |
| totalScore | Score achieved across the whole set of test problems. Computed as the sum of individual problem scores. Maximum is 30 in the standard version. |
| consecutiveErrorRuns | Stores the number of consecutive error runs (resets for each correctly solved problem) |
| stopTask | Pseudo-boolean switch to stop the task prematurely when stop condition has been met (= 3 unsuccessful solution attempts for three consecutive problems - except 1) |
| violation | 0 = no rule was violated with the currently recorded move 1 = rule 1 was violated ('no larger disc onto smaller disc') 2 = rule 2 was violated ('only top disc can be moved') (if rule 1 AND rule 2 are violated in the same move, only rule violation 2 is noted. The violations count as a single violation in this script) |
| countViolationsProblem | Counts the number of rule violations per problem |
| firstMoveTime | Returns the time (in ms) elapsed between initial presentation of the target configuration and the initialization of the subject's first valid move. Sometimes also referred to as "planning time" or simply "latency". Measure is computed separately for each problem. |
| solutionTime | Returns the time (in ms) elapsed between initial presentation of the target configuration and a subject's successful solution or problem termination. Measure is computed separately for each problem. |
| executionTime | Computed as solutionTime - firstMoveTime. Measure is computed separately for each problem. |
| planningTime | Computed as solutionTime - executionTime. Measure is computed separately for each problem. |
| tChoiceStart | Absolute start time for trial.choice in ms. May be used to derive additional measures during data analysis (e.g. mean move time). |
| tChoiceEnd | Absolute end time for trial.choice in ms. May be used to derive additional measures during data analysis (e.g. mean move time). |
| totalCompletionTime | Cumulative solution times across all problem sets attempted |
| latency | The latency of the current response in ms (or if no response: trialduration) |
| response | Response made (the peg that was moved to) |
| trial.choice.lastDropSource | The last moved disc (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) trial.choice.lastDropTarget: the last peg that a disc was moved to (apeg, bpeg, cpeg) |
| moveString | Text string containing a record of performed moves. E.g. "1apeg," indicates that disc1 (the smallest) was moved to pegA (the left one). A rule violation is expressed as "rule1violation (2bpeg)" => disc2 was moved onto a smaller disc onto b-peg |
| topInA | Returns the disc number (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) currently inhabiting the top position on peg 1 (left). Returns 'none' if peg is empty. Used to determine valid responses in 'trial.choice'. |
| topInB | Returns the disc number (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) currently inhabiting the top position on peg 2 (center). Returns 'none' if peg is empty. Used to determine valid responses in 'trial.choice'. |
| topInC | Returns the disc number (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) currently inhabiting the top position on peg 3 (right). Returns 'none' if peg is empty. Used to determine valid responses in 'trial.choice'. |
| aCount | The number of discs currently placed on peg 1 (left). |
| bCount | The number of discs currently placed on peg 2 (center). |
| cCount | The number of discs currently placed on peg 3 (right). |
| cumMoves | Cumulative number of moves made across all problem sets attempted |
| cumMovesCS | Cumulative number of moves made across all problem sets that were solved |
| cumOptimalMoves | Cumulative number of optimal moves across those problem sets that were attempted |
| cumOptimalMovesCS | Cumulative number of optimal moves across those problem sets that were solved |
The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.
| Name | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Design |
||
| showTimer | True = presents the timer to participants while solving the problem (default) false = does not present the timer | true |
| showMovementInfo | True = presents the optimal number of movements and tracks the participant's movement on screen false = no movement info is presented to participant | false |
| showScores | True = score information is presented to participant false = no score information is presented to participant | false |
| showRuleReminder | True = rules are displayed on screen throughout the task false = rules are not displayed on screen | true |
| nASlots | Capacity of peg 1 (left). | 5 |
| nBSlots | Capacity of peg 2 (center). | 5 |
| nCSlots | Capacity of peg 3 (right). | 5 |
Disk Coordinates In Canvas%: H = Horizontal (3 Peg Positions); V = Vertical (5 Positions Per Peg) |
||
| h1 | Position of peg1 (left) | 20% |
| h2 | Position of peg2 (middle) | 50% |
| h3 | Position of peg3 (right) | 80% |
| v1 | Bottom position of a disk on a peg | 84.5% |
| v2 | Bottom/middle position of a disk on a peg | 76.15% |
| v3 | Middle position of a disk on a peg | 67.85% |
| v4 | Middle/top position of a disk on a peg | 59.50% |
| v5 | Top position of a disk on a peg | 51.25% |
Timing Parameters |
||
| feedbackDuration | Duration of performance feedback in ms. | 2000 |