Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Created: January 13, 2013
Last Modified: January 24, 2023 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC
This script implements a basic cross modal priming paradigm (audio->visual) as generously shared by Dr. Meghan Sumner. The basic question this script addresses is whether a within-accent (typical) voice facilitates the recognition of the visual target compared to an atypically accented voice.
In general, priming procedures are simple response-timed binary categorization tasks of items from two target categories (e.g. positive vs. negative adjectives). Priming Procedures are based on the assumption that people respond faster if the target category was already 'mentally activated' by briefly presenting items (called 'primes') that are closely connected in one's mind. Thus, a person should be faster to quickly categorize the target word 'good' as 'positive' after the brief presentation of the prime word 'ice-cream' than after the brief presentation of the prime word 'famine'. This particularly script uses the general priming procedure in a cross-modal (auditory primes, visual targets) domain.
Millisecond thanks Dr. Sumner for generously supporting the development of this script and providing the stimuli!
For an example of a similar cross modal priming paradigm see: Sumner, M. (2013). A phonetic explanation of pronunciation variant effects. JASA Express Letters [https://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4807432]. Published Online 5 June 2013.
5 minutes
Participants listen to audio recordings of words ("primes") that are followed by either visual presentations of words or nonwords ("targets") presented in the middle of a computer screen. Participants are asked to do a simple classification task on the visual word/nonword: press one key if the visual target is a word and another key if the visual target is a nonword/pseudoword. Participants are encouraged to respond as quickly as possible.
2 accents ("typical" American English vs. an "atypical" -ethnic variety- of AE ) X 2 levels of prime-target relatedness (Related vs. Unrelated)
R(elated) = identical in this script
- 12 prime-targets in each of the 4 experimental conditions, none of the targets in these conditions are nonwords
- 96 filler pairs that provide nonword targets
=> 1/2 the trials have words/nonwords
•Test Blocks:
- option to run test blocks in a blocked design by condition or in a mixed design (default)
=> go to EXPERIMENT section and follow additional instructions
•Trial Sequence:
audio prime -> ISI-> visual target (response terminated or until parameters.maxtargetpresentation) -> ITI
- under Editable Values it can be set whether a fixed interstimulusinterval (ISI: time between offset of prime and onset of target)
is to be used or whether varying ISIs should be used (controlled via editable lists) (default: fixed at 100ms)
- an intertrialinterval (ITI) can be set under Editable Values (default: 1000ms)
!!! the response keys for word/pseudo words can be counterbalanced by groupnumber.
• audio stimuli: This script runs with stimuli provided by Dr. Sumner
• visual stimuli: This script runs with stimuli provided by Dr. Sumner
The visual stimuli are presented in Times New Roman, Fontheight is coded as a percentage of screen height and can be
edited under Editable Values.
Instructions are made by Millisecond and can easily be customized under
EDITABLE CODE -> Editable Instructions
File Name: crossmodalpriming_summary*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| inquisit.version | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| 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 |
Parameter Values |
|
| usefixedISI | True = a fixed ISI is to be used in the study (set under /fixedISI) false = different ISIs are to be used (see lists below under Editable Lists) |
| fixedISI | Sets the fixed ISI (if a fixed ISI is to be used) ( To customize randomly determinded ISI for each type of pairing go to Editable Lists for an example) |
| maxTargetPresentation | Sets the max duration of the target/response trial ( trial is response terminated unless it takes longer than parameters.maxtargetpresentation) |
| iti | ITI - intertrialinterval: sets the pause between the end of one trial sequence (priming and task) and the start of the next |
| fontHeight | Size of the visual targets |
Summary Dvs |
|
| errorRateCondition2Filler | (error)rate of categorizing related targets as pseudowords in all exp.condition meanRTCondition1R - |
| meanRTCondition2Filler | Mean latency of correctly categorizing words/nonwords in each condition Difference Scores (only correct responses considered) |
| diff1 | Difference Score between mean latency in Condition 1UR (unrelated) and mean latency in Condition 1R (related) => meanRTCondition1UR is expected to be slower (bigger latency) and therefore DiffCondition1 is expected to be positive |
| diff2 | Difference Score between mean latency in Condition 2UR (unrelated) and mean latency in Condition 2R (related) => meanRTCondition2UR is expected to be slower (bigger latency) and therefore DiffCondition2 is expected to be positive |
File Name: crossmodalpriming_raw*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| build | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| date | Date the session was run |
| time | Time the session was run |
| subject | Participant ID |
| group | Group number |
| session | Session number |
| blockCode | Name of the current block |
| blockNum | Number of the current block |
| trialCode | Name of the current trial |
| trialNum | Number of the current trial |
| currentisi | The currently assigned interstimulusinterval (time between offset of prime and onset of target) |
| condition | 1 = "condition1" ("typical" AE) 2 = condition2 ("atypical" AE) |
| relatedness | 0 = N/A (filler) 1 = related target 2 = unrelated target |
| prime | Stores the current prime wav file played |
| target | Stores the current visual target associated with the selected prime |
| stimulusite | The presented stimuli in order of trial presentation |
| response | The participant's key response (scancode of response key) 30 = A (left) 38 = L (right) |
| resp | The response: 'REAL' or 'PSEUDO' |
| correct | The correctness of the response (1 = correct; 0 = otherwise) |
| latency | The response latency; measured from onset of targets |
The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.
| Name | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| responseKey1:- | ||
| responseKey2 | Sets the 2 responseKeys (uses scancodes) and labels them (default: "A", "L") the response keys for words/pseudo words can be counterbalanced by groupnumber in this script Duration Set ups | |
| getReadyDuration | The duration (in ms) of the get-ready trial | 2000ms |
| maxTargetPresentation | Sets the max duration (in ms) of the target/response trial ( trial is response terminated unless it takes longer than parameters.maxtargetpresentation) | |
| iti | ITI - intertrialinterval (in ms): sets the pause between the end of one trial sequence (priming and task) and the start of the next (default: 2000ms) | |
| usefixedISI | True = a fixed ISI is to be used in the study (set under /fixedISI) (default option in this script) false = different ISIs are to be used (see lists below under Editable Lists) | |
| fixedISI | Sets the fixed ISI (if a fixed ISI is to be used) ( To customize randomly determinded ISI for each type of pairing go to Editable Lists for an example) | |
| fontHeight | Size of the visual target (non)words |