Attentional Blink Experiment
This example implements the Attentional Blink paradigm.
1. Background
The “attentional blink” is a phenomenon where the second of two targets cannot be detected or identified when it appears shortly after the first target (typically within 200-500ms). This suggests a temporary bottleneck in attention processing.
2. Experimental Task
- RSVP Stream: 19 letters are presented rapidly in the center of the screen.
- Timing: Each letter is shown for 100ms.
- Targets: The letters ‘J’ and ‘K’.
- Conditions:
- Lag: The number of items between ‘J’ and ‘K’ (varies from 1 to 8).
- Presence: Trials may contain both ‘J’ and ‘K’, only one, or neither.
- Response: After the stream, the participant reports what they saw.
3. Controls
- ‘J’: Saw only ‘J’.
- ‘K’: Saw only ‘K’.
- ‘B’: Saw BOTH (‘J’ and ‘K’).
- ‘N’: Saw NEITHER.
- ‘ESC’: Quit the experiment.
4. How to Run
From the Attentional-Blink directory:
go run main.go -d -s [subject_id]
Or from the repository root:
go run examples/Attentional-Blink/main.go -d -s [subject_id]
- -d: Developer mode (windowed display).
- -s: Subject ID for data logging.
References
- Raymond, J. E., Shapiro, K. L., & Arnell, K. M. (1992). Temporary suppression of visual processing in an RSVP task: An attentional blink? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 18(3), 849.