Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Created: January 03, 2020
Last Modified: January 12, 2025 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC
This script implements a computer adapted 'White Bear Thought Suppression Procedure' (Wegner et al, 1987); a procedure to investigate the paradoxical effect of attempting to suppress of conscious thought.
Wegner, D.M, Schneider, D.J, Carter, S.R, & White, T.L (1987). Paradoxical Effects of Thought Suppression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 53, 5–13.
Giuliano, R.J., & Wicha, N.Y. (2010). Why the white bear is still there: electrophysiological evidence for ironic semantic activation during thought suppression. Brain research, 1316, 62–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2009.12.041
18 minutes
Participants work through three phases of thought vocalizations:
Phase1: Participants are instructed to vocalize their thoughts for 5 minutes (editable) straight. -> Inquisit records and provides a soundfile for this phase
Phase2: Participants are instructed to vocalize their thoughts for 5 minutes (editable) while being instructed to NOT think of a 'White Bear'. If they think of a 'White Bear', they are instructed to press the Spacebar. -> Inquisit records and provides a soundfile for this phase as well as counts the number of spacebar presses
Phase3: Participants are instructed to vocalize their thoughts for 5 minutes (editable). If they happen to think of a 'White Bear', they are instructed to press the Spacebar -> Inquisit records and provides a soundfile for this phase as well as counts the number of spacebar presses
Participants work through three phases of thought vocalizations:
Phase1: Participants are instructed to vocalize their thoughts for 5 minutes (editable) straight.
-> Inquisit records and provides a soundfile for this phase
Phase2: Participants are instructed to vocalize their thoughts for 5 minutes (editable) while
being instructed to NOT think of a 'White Bear'. If they think of a 'White Bear', they are instructed
to press the Spacebar.
-> Inquisit records and provides a soundfile for this phase as well as counts the number
of spacebar presses
Phase3: Participants are instructed to vocalize their thoughts for 5 minutes (editable).
If they happen to think of a 'White Bear', they are instructed to press the Spacebar
-> Inquisit records and provides a soundfile for this phase as well as counts the number
of spacebar pressesse
provided by Millisecond - can be edited under section Editable Instructions
The instructions are taken from: Giuliano & Wicha (2010)
File Name: whitebearthoughtsuppression_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 |
| phase2Responses | Counts the number of spacebar-presses made during phase2 (thought suppression phase) |
| phase3Responses | Counts the number of spacebar-presses made during phase3 |
File Name: whitebearthoughtsuppression_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. |
| stimulusItem | The presented stimuli in order of trial presentation |
| response | The participant's response (scancode of response buttons) 57 = spacebar |
| countResponses | Counts the number of spacebar presses made during phase2 and phase3 |
| latency | The response latency (in ms); measured from: onset of trial |
The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.
| Name | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| targetConcept | The target concept tested in this script | "White Bear" |
| phase1Duration | The duration (in ms) of phase1 | 300000 |
| phase2Duration | The duration (in ms) of phase2 | 300000 |
| phase3Duration | The duration (in ms) of phase3 if any of these default values are changed, instructions under section Editable Instructions need to be changed accordingly | 300000 |