Behavioural Laterality Battery Finger Tapping Task

Technical Manual

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

Credits:
https://gorilla.sc/openmaterials/104636

Created: January 21, 2021

Last Modified: January 01, 2025 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond

Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC

Background

This script implements a Finger Tapping Task similar to the one used by the Behavioural Laterality Battery (Parker et al, 2020). The Fingertapping Task assesses manual preference

References

Adam J. Parker , Zoe V. J. Woodhead , Paul A. Thompson & Dorothy V. M. Bishop (2020): Assessing the reliability of an online behavioural laterality battery: A pre-registered study, Laterality, DOI: 10.1080/1357650X.2020.1859526 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/1357650X.2020.1859526

Duration

10 minutes

Description

Participants are asked to press a specific key-sequence (e.g. TUMB) as often as possible during 30s. They are tested with their left and right hand (different key sequences)

Procedure

This script runs 4 rounds of alternating RH-LH (LH-RH) blocks.
The order depends on selected groupnumbers:
odd groupnumbers: start with RH
even groupnumbers: start with LH

Participants hear a 'start' sound and see a timer appear on the screen. They then have 30s to type as many
TUMB-sequences as they can with their right hand or type as many WRVX-sequences with their left hand
(depends on block). Incorrect Responses* get recorded, but script 'waits' for a correct response to
move ahead in the sequence.
Example: T U U M B (counts as a completed sequence)

•Incorrect Responses: by default => one of the three currently incorrected response keys was pressed
Should all keys be potentially valid responses, go to trial.drumming and follow instructions for
/validresponse

Stimuli

provided by Millisecond - can be edited under section Editable Stimuli

Instructions

provided by Millisecond. The instructions are based on the ones used by
the Behavioural Laterality Battery (Parker et al 2020).
The instructions can edited in the provided htm-file as well as under section Editable Instructions.

Summary Data

File Name: blb_fingertappingtask_summary*.iqdat

Data Fields

NameDescription
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
timeout The block timeouts (in ms)
numberOfRounds The number of RH-LH rounds to run
countRounds The number of RH-LH rounds that were run
startHand The first hand: RH vs. LH
meanCompletedSequencesRH Mean number of completed sequences with the right hand (RH) for the number of complete rounds run
meanCompletedSequencesLH Mean number of completed sequences with the left hand (LH) for the number of complete rounds run
propCorrectRH Proportion correct taps for the right hand (across all RH blocks)
propCorrectLH Proportion correct taps for the left hand (across all LH blocks)
meanTappingRTRH Mean tapping latency (in ms) across all correct and incorrect taps for the right hand
meanTappingCorrRTRH Mean tapping latency (in ms) for correct taps for the right hand
this is based on values.corrRT which measures the time intervals (in ms) inbetween correct responses
meanTappingRTLH Mean tapping latency (in ms) across all correct and incorrect taps for the left hand
meanTappingCorrRTLH Mean tapping latency (in ms) for correct taps for the left hand
this is based on values.corrRT which measures the time intervals (in ms) inbetween correct responses
numberTapsRH Number of correct and incorrect taps for the right hand (across all RH blocks)
numberCorrTapsRH Number of correct taps for the right hand (across all RH blocks)
numberTapsLH Number of correct and incorrect taps for the left hand (across all LH blocks)
numberCorrTapsLH Number of correct taps for the left hand (across all LH blocks)

Raw Data

File Name: blb_fingertappingtask_raw*.iqdat

Data Fields

NameDescription
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.
parameters.timeout The block timeouts (in ms)
numberOfRounds The number of RH-LH rounds to run
startHand The first hand: RH vs. LH
hand The current hand: RH vs. LH
countRounds The round counter
currentSequence The currently tapped key-sequence at the end of the trial ( only stores correct button presses)
correctSequence The current correct response key sequence to tap
countCompletedSequences Counts the number of sequences completed
currentButton The number (1-4) of the current button to be pressed (see response key assignment under section Editable Parameters)
correctKey The correct key to be pressed
response The participant's response (scancode of response button)
responseText The label of the response button pressed
selectedButton The number (1-4) of button that was selected by participant
correct Accuracy of response
1 = correct response (the correct button was pressed)
0 = one of the three currently incorrect response keys was pressed
latency The response latency (in ms)
corrRT Stores the time (in ms) that it takes from one correct response to the next
calculated as: the latency (in ms) of current correct response + previously stored values.incorrRT
incorrRT Stores the sum of all incorrect response times (in ms) in between correct responses
resets with a correct response

Parameters

The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.

NameDescriptionDefault
correctSequence The integer order in which the keys (see above) need to be pressed
the default sequences are TUMB (RH), WRVX (LH)
"1234"
correctSequence => the sequences to press would be TUMBBMUT (RH) and WRVXXVRW (LH)"12344321"
getReadyDuration The duration of the block start trial (the 'preparation' trial)3000
timeout The block timeout (in ms)30000
numberOfRounds The number of RH-LH rounds to run4
Response Key Assignments (This Script Is Coded To Use 4 Different Keys But Can Be Adapted To Run More Or Fewer Than 4)
responseKey1RH Key '1' for the right hand"T"
responseKey2RH Key '2' for the right hand"U"
responseKey3RH Key '3' for the right hand"M"
responseKey4RH Key '4' for the right hand"B"
responseKey1LH Key '1' for the left hand"W"
responseKey2LH Key '2' for the left hand"R"
responseKey3LH Key '3' for the left hand"V"
responseKey4LH Key '4' for the left hand"X"