Implements the classic Psychological Refractory Period paradigm. Two tasks overlap in time with a variable Stimulus Onset Asynchrony (SOA). The PRP effect — the finding that RT to Task 2 increases as SOA decreases — demonstrates a central processing bottleneck: the brain cannot simultaneously execute two decision-making processes.
| Task | Stimulus | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Task 1 (auditory) | Low tone (400 Hz) or High tone (900 Hz) | S = Low, D = High |
| Task 2 (visual) | Letter ‘A’ or letter ‘B’ | K = A, L = B |
SOA values (time between Task 1 and Task 2 stimuli): 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 ms, randomly interleaved.
go run main.go # fullscreen
go run main.go -d # windowed (development)
go run main.go -d -s 1 # windowed, subject ID 1
| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
-d |
off | Development mode: windowed 1024×768 |
-s |
0 |
Participant ID |
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
S |
Task 1 — Low tone |
D |
Task 1 — High tone |
K |
Task 2 — Letter A |
L |
Task 2 — Letter B |
| Escape | Quit |
Respond to each task as quickly as possible. Task 1 must be responded to before Task 2.
Data are saved to goxpy_data/ as a .xpd file. One row per trial, recording SOA, Task 1 stimulus and RT, Task 2 stimulus and RT, and whether each response was correct.
Pashler, H. (1994). Dual-task interference in simple tasks: Data and theory. Psychological Bulletin, 116(2), 220–244. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.116.2.220