User`s guide

E-Prime User’s Guide
Table of Contents
Page v
The Single-Trial, Reaction-Time Paradigm __________________________________________A-25
General Considerations___________________________________________________________A-26
An example experiment__________________________________________________________A-26
What happens on each trial? ______________________________________________________A-26
What happens within a block of trials? ______________________________________________A-28
Blocked versus random presentation ________________________________________________ A-28
Ordering of trials within a block ___________________________________________________A-29
What happens within the whole experiment? _________________________________________A-29
Instructions ___________________________________________________________________A-30
Practice ______________________________________________________________________A-30
Debriefing ____________________________________________________________________ A-30
How many trials?________________________________________________________________A-31
Between- Versus Within-Subjects Designs ___________________________________________A-31
Other Considerations in RT Research_______________________________________________A-32
Speed-accuracy trade-off _________________________________________________________A-32
Stimulus-response compatibility ___________________________________________________A-33
Probability of a stimulus _________________________________________________________A-33
Number of different responses_____________________________________________________A-33
Intensity and contrast____________________________________________________________A-34
Stimulus location _______________________________________________________________A-34
Statistical Analysis of RT Data_____________________________________________________A-35
Appendix C: Sample Experiments _____________________________________________________ A-37
Basic Reaction Time: Text ________________________________________________________A-37
Basic Reaction Time: Pictures _____________________________________________________A-41
Basic Reaction Time: Sound _______________________________________________________A-43
Basic Reaction Time: Nested Lists __________________________________________________A-45
Basic Reaction Time: Extended Input _______________________________________________A-46
Basic Reaction Time: Slide ________________________________________________________A-48
Appendix D: Display Presentation _____________________________________________________ A-53
Step 1 - Writing to Video Memory__________________________________________________A-54
Step 2 - Scanning the Screen_______________________________________________________A-54
Step 3 - Activating the Retina ______________________________________________________A-55
Appendix E: Timing of Object Execution _______________________________________________ A-57
Glossary__________________________________________________________________________ A-59