1. WHAT
If you are a psychologist, neuroscientist or vision researcher who uses a computer to run experiments, and reports timing accuracy in units of a millisecond, then it's likely your timings are wrong! This can lead to replication failure, spurious results and questionable conclusions.
Ask yourself:
- Are researchers always carrying out the experiments they assume they are in terms of stimulus presentation, synchronization and response timing accuracy?
- Are researchers aware of any mistimings that affect stimulus presentation, synchronization and response timing accuracy and can they quantify such together with the affect they may have on the validity of results?
- Are researchers confident that they can replicate all experimental parameters so as to ensure that comparable results are obtained when different hardware and software in another laboratory are used?
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Timing error means that your study is not working as you intended and that your results might be spurious. Are you putting your reputation at risk?
The Black Box ToolKit guarantees your ability to replicate.
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2. WHY
Modern computer hardware may be faster but millisecond timing accuracy gets harder to achieve year-on-year. A common misconception is that "millisecond precision" equals "millisecond accuracy". Precision simply means that timings are reported in units of a millisecond, not that they are accurate!
For example, all TFT monitors suffer from input lag. If you present an image it will take longer to appear on screen than you might think. On some models this can be upwards of 60 milliseconds. Remember quoted panel response time is not the same as input lag. More >>
Because of startup latency soundcards are even more variable. But don't just take our word for it... read PST's own findings.
3. HOW
To improve replication researchers should self-validate, or self-certify, their own studies in terms of millisecond presentation, synchronization and response timing accuracy.
Currently self-validation can only be done quickly and easily with a Black Box ToolKit. This acts as a programmable virtual human that can detect and respond to stimulus events with sub-millisecond accuracy. It enables you, the researcher, to check the accuracy of your own paradigm whilst running in-situ on your own equipment with no modification needed. More >>
- Set-up – Hook up external stimulus sensors (opto-detectors, mics, TTL) and a response device (response pad, robotic key actuator, sounder, TTL)
- Test – Use a wizard to select a stimulus pattern to automatically respond to/event mark. Then choose the exact response time, response device and duration
- Analyze – Check your stimulus, response and synchronization timings across up to 36 channels. Compare what your experiment recorded with what the BBTK saw
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| ABOUT US |
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NEWS |
Founded in 2003 by a team of psychologists, software experts and electronic engineers The Black Box Toolkit Ltd is a UK based company dedicated to improving the methods used by researchers in the behavioural and brain sciences.
We quickly realised that testing hardware and software in our lab did not reflect what researchers were doing with their own equipment and paradigms. In fact, it is now a well documented fact that timing varies depending on the hardware used. This makes it hard to single out one experiment generator, or platform, over another. What was needed was an inexpensive kit that enables researchers to quickly and easily check their own paradigms, in-situ and without modification. We have spent over a decade developing and refining the Black Box Toolkit to enable researchers like you improve their ability to replicate and correct any errors prior to publication. |
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Latest 2013 paper published in Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience journal. Read >>
New support site launched.
Meet us: 23-26 May 13, Association for Psychological Science, Washington DC, USA
Request a quote | print a flyer | Watch a video to learn more. |
| CASE STUDIES |
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Cognitive Psychology
University of Sheffield, UK
What should have been simple turned into a major headache. We wanted to display a prime for 11mS and then evaluate social behaviour dependent on the type of prime. Unfortunately 33% of our participants could see the prime! Without the BBTK we wouldn't have been to carry out our replication successfully. |
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Speech & Language
University of York, UK
We noticed that on some trials there appeared to be a presentation lag on the sounds we wanted to play to participants. This turned out to be due to soundcard start-up latencies. With the help of a BBTK we managed to adjust onsets so that sounds were synchronised. |
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EEG and fMRI
University of Durham, UK
In some of our EEG work it was sometimes difficult to know the exact relationship between what we presented and what the EEG recorded. We used the BBTK to evaluate settling time, digital filter response, phase delay etc. to help tighten up our experiments. |
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Space Applications Services, Belgium
Space Applications performs space system and software engineering for the European Space Agency, National Space Agencies and the space industry (unmanned and manned). They use a BBTK to ensure accurate presentation and response timings in their Virtual and Augmented Reality systems (eVRS). |
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