Experiment Code:
COLOUR_FY_IPLM_010

Introduction & Research Question:
I wanted to investigate whether participants could learn about a simple cue (a colour in the centre of the screen) that predicted the location of a required response (right or left stimulus) WITHOUT being aware of the relationship between the two. Using multiple colours that were either Predictive (were more likely to occur before either a right or left required response) or Non-Predictive (were equally likely to occur before either required response).

This experiment is the product of many pilot COLOUR studies (001 - 009) and introduced a central coloured square to a 2-choice reaction time task that flashed either Red, Yellow, Green or Blue. A circle the same colour as this central square would then appear on the right or left of the screen, requiring a spatially compatible key press. A prediction task and structured interview followed the task.

Participants were NOT informed of the nature of the experiment or the contingencies between colour and response. This experiment was conducted under incidental conditions.

Participants:
16

Experiment Software:
MatLab

Method:
Training-------Participants responded with two spatially compatible key presses (x and >) to left and right circle flashes on screen, which lit up 250-500msecs after a central cue: a square that remained on screen until the response. The colour of the square was one of four (red, green, blue, yellow) and these were equally likely to occur. The circles would also fill up with the same colour as the square on each trial. Two colours were Non-Predictive and occurred with equal likelihood on right and left trials. Two colours were Predictive and occurred 80% on one side and 20% on the other side. One colour was 80% right and the other colour 80% left. This training lasted for 18 blocks of 120 trials, with 2 blocks of 120 trials following acting as test with all colours equally predicting L or R responses to allow for comparison. 
Prediction task-------Participants responded to two blocks of 16 trials, each following the same format as Training, except the circle response stimuli did not occur. All colours occurred with equal likelihood. Participants were instructed to respond to which circle they thought would have occurred during training.

Experimenter:
Fayme Yeates

Location:
Rooms:
Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter

Date:
17/02/2013

Data file format:
.csv

Data file names:
COLSEQ_FY_IPLM_010_DA (Contains averaged participant data)
COLSEQ_FY_IPLM_010_training_xxx (Contains each response made across training and test for each participant, whose numbers replace the xxx)
COLSEQ_FY_IPLM_010_predtask_xxx (Contains each response made across the prediction task for each participant, whose numbers replace the xxx)