Whack-A-Mole Test - Mouse

Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond

Created: January 05, 2021

Last Modified: January 12, 2025 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond

Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC

Background

This script implements an Inquisit implementation of the 'Whack-a-mole' task, a go/nogo task for children, published at: https://fablab.yale.edu/page/assays-tools Project downloaded: WackAMole.zip

The Inquisit implementation of this script is based on e-prime script 'WackTheMole1.5__go_left.es' but includes a practice block. This script uses 2 response buttons of the mouse as the 'go' and 'nogo' response.

The downloaded project comes with two 'whack-a-mole' e-prime scripts as well as several information files. - 'mole_agree.html' (included with this script as well) - please read - 'Mole_Instrux.pdf' (additional verbal instructions) - 'Mole_Parameters.pdf' (see below under Task Description)

Millisecond was given permission to include this task in the Millisecond Library by Dr. BJ Casey.

References

Casey, B. J., Trainor, R. J., Orendi, J. L., Schubert, A. B., Nystrom,L. E., Giedd, J. N., Castellanos, F. X., Haxby, J. V., Noll, D. C., Cohen, J. D., Forman, S. D., Dahl, R. E., & Rapoport, J. L. (1997). A developmental functional MRI study of prefrontal activation during performance of a Go-No-Go task. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 9, 835–847.

Durston, S., Tottenham, N. T., Thomas, K. M., Davidson, M. C., Eigsti, I. M., Yang, Y., Ulug, A. M., Casey, B. J. (2003) Differential patterns of striatal activation in young children with and without ADHD. Biological Psychiatry, 15, 871-878.

Duration

12 minutes

Description

The following information is provided by 'Mole_Parameters.pdf' (downloaded with original eprime script package):

Wack-A-Mole Task • Wack the Mole (WTM) is a version of the Go/NoGo paradigm, a response inhibition task (Casey et al, 1997).

• WTM is designed to examine how parametrically manipulating preceding context (the number of Go trials) affects inhibition of a preponent response (NoGo trials). (Durston et al, 2002)

• As the number of Go trials increases, the salience of the “go” response increases. Thus, increasing Go trials is expected to increase the conflict between the two responses and require greater cognitive control.

Task design • Subjects are asked to press a button in response to visually presented stimuli (a mole), but to avoid responding to a less frequent non-target (an eggplant).

• The task consists of four runs, which lasted on average 2 min and 21 seconds each. Each run contains an average total of 53 trials, with an average of 42 go trials, resulting in an average of 12 NoGo trials per run.

• The type of NoGo trial (with 1-7 preceding Go trials) was weighted such that more Go trials preceded NoGos in the first and last runs. The order of presentation of the different types of NoGo trials was pseudorandomized. Stimulus duration was 1500 milliseconds. The interstimulus interval is 5 seconds.

Procedure

The script uses 8 different 'routines' that differ in the number of go trials that precede one nogo trial:
n0: 1 nogo trial
n1: 1 go trial -> 1 nogo trial
n2: 2 go trials -> 1 nogo trial
n3: 3 go trials -> 1 nogo trial
n4: 4 go trials -> 1 nogo trial
n5: 5 go trials -> 1 nogo trial
n6: 6 go trials -> 1 nogo trial
n7: 7 go trials -> 1 nogo trial


(1) Practice:
- runs 3 routines in sequence: n2, n4, n1 (10 trials total: 7 go, 3 nogo trials)
- participants receive feedback after each response

(2) Test: 4 runs (in fixed sequence);
- routines run by each run can be edited under section "Editable Lists"
- !if the number of routines run is changed, edited the expt-element at the end of the script accordingly!

Run1:
- runs 12 routines (n2,n4,n2,n7,n4,n5,n5,n3,n6,n7,n1,n3) in random order => 61 trials total (49 go: 12 nogo trials)
- participants receive feedback after each response

Run2:
- runs 11 routines (n3,n7,n6,n5,n0,n2,n1,n0,n4,n1,n6) in random order => 46 trials total (35 go: 11 nogo trials)
- participants receive feedback after each response

Run3:
- runs 11 routines (n0,n3,n6,n4,n6,n4,n0,n5,n1,n2,n1) in random order => 43 trials total (32 go: 11 nogo trials)
- participants receive feedback after each response

Run4:
- runs 12 routines (n7,n1,n0,n3,n6,n7,n3,n6,n7,n2,n5,n4) in random order => 63 trials total (51 go: 12 nogo trials)
- participants receive feedback after each response

Routine Count across the 4 runs:
n0: 5
n1: 6
n2: 5
n3: 6
n4: 6
n5: 5
n6: 7
n7: 6


Trial Sequence (default timing based on e-prime script; can be edited under section Editable Parameters):

Go Trial (Mole):
- Mole image presented for max. 1500ms
- feedback for: 300ms
- empty hole for iti duration (variable):
iti = 2000ms (parameters.totalTrialDuration) - RT ( for noresponses, the RT is the max. stimulusduration = 1500)
=> total duration: 2300ms

Nogo Trial (Vegetable)
- Vegetable image presented for max. 1500ms ( the duration of the vegetable is shorter by 500ms)
- feedback for: 300ms
- empty hole for iti duration (variable):
iti = 2000ms (parameters.totalTrialDuration) - RT ( for noresponses, the RT is the max. stimulusduration = 1500)
=> total duration: 2300ms

Stimuli

taken from original e-prime script 'WackTheMole1.5__go_left.es'
https://fablab.yale.edu/page/assays-tools
(converted to png files)

Instructions

taken from original e-prime script 'WackTheMole1.5__go_left.es'
https://fablab.yale.edu/page/assays-tools
- slightly adapted

can be edited in script "whackamole_gonogo_leftkey_instructions_inc.iqjs"

Summary Data

File Name: whackamole_gonogo_leftkey_summary*.iqdat

Data Fields

Raw Data

File Name: whackamole_gonogo_leftkey_raw*.iqdat

Data Fields

Parameters

The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.