Pattern Comparison (Same/Different)
Description
A go/no-go pattern comparison task where two dot patterns are presented simultaneously and participants press the spacebar if they match the target condition.
Measures: Visual pattern comparison, processing speed, go/no-go inhibition
Processing Speed Perception
About This Test
Two dot grid patterns are displayed side by side. In the first block, participants press the spacebar if the patterns are the SAME (withhold if different). In the second block, the rule reverses: press if DIFFERENT (withhold if same). Each trial has a response deadline. Measures speed and accuracy of simultaneous pattern comparison.
Test Details
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Scientific Background
Original Task References:
These references describe the original task that this PEBL implementation is based on.
- Perez, W. A., Masline, P. J., Ramsey, E. G., & Urban, K. E. (1987). Unified tri-services cognitive performance assessment battery: Review and methodology. DTIC/TR-87-007.
PEBL-Specific References:
These studies used the PEBL version of this task.
- Mueller, S. T. (2011). The PEBL Pattern Comparison Task. Computer software retrieved from http://pebl.sf.net/battery.html
Data Output
Trial-by-trial data with same/different condition, go/no-go response, and accuracy.
patcompsd-{subnum}.csv
Data Columns
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| subnum | Participant ID |
| trial | Trial number within the current block |
| samediff | Whether the two patterns were the same or different (same/diff) |
| cond | Response condition for the current block (s=press spacebar if same, d=press spacebar if different) |
| delta | Number of dot position differences between patterns (0 for same trials; 1, 2, or 3 for different trials) |
| mat1 | Left pattern encoded as a binary string (1=dot present, 0=empty) |
| mat2 | Right pattern encoded as a binary string |
| abstime | Absolute timestamp in milliseconds from the start of the test |
| rt | Response time in milliseconds from stimulus onset (equals deadline if no response) |
| resp | Whether participant responded (respond) or withheld (timeout) |
| corr | Whether the response was correct (1) or incorrect (0) |
Example Data
| subnum | trial | samediff | cond | delta | mat1 | mat2 | abstime | rt | resp | corr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| example | 1 | same | s | 0 | 0011010010100111 | 0011010010100111 | 10271 | 1338 | respond | 1 |
| example | 2 | diff | s | 2 | 0101110101010001 | 0011111101010000 | 12032 | 1501 | timeout | 1 |
| example | 3 | same | s | 0 | 0101111111000000 | 0101111111000000 | 13948 | 1502 | timeout | 0 |
| example | 4 | same | s | 0 | 0000010111101101 | 0000010111101101 | 15858 | 1352 | respond | 1 |
| example | 5 | same | s | 0 | 0110010101010101 | 0110010101010101 | 17620 | 997 | respond | 1 |
| example | 6 | same | s | 0 | 1000100111111000 | 1000100111111000 | 19031 | 1003 | respond | 1 |
| example | 7 | same | s | 0 | 0001101001111010 | 0001101001111010 | 20446 | 1293 | respond | 1 |
| example | 8 | same | s | 0 | 0100111110100100 | 0100111110100100 | 22148 | 1233 | respond | 1 |
| example | 9 | same | s | 0 | 0110010110010110 | 0110010110010110 | 23797 | 1343 | respond | 1 |
Sample data showing typical output format. Actual values will vary by participant.
About This Test
A go/no-go pattern comparison task where two dot patterns are presented simultaneously and participants press the spacebar if they match the target condition.
Category: Processing Speed
Estimated Duration: 5 minutes
Available Translations: 7 languages
Documentation Status: Complete