Spatial Cueing (Posner) Task
Description
A classic spatial cueing paradigm (Posner's cueing task) measuring attentional orienting via valid, invalid, and neutral cues.
Measures: Attentional orienting, cueing benefit/cost, simple reaction time
Attention
About This Test
A fixation cross appears with a directional arrow cue (left, right, or both). After a variable delay, a target X appears to the left or right. Participants respond as quickly as possible when the target appears. The arrow cue is valid (correctly predicts target location) on most trials, creating a cueing benefit for valid trials and a cost for invalid trials.
Test Details
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Scientific Background
Original Task References:
These references describe the original task that this PEBL implementation is based on.
- Posner, M. I. (1980). Orienting of attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32, 3-25.
- Posner, M. I., Snyder, C. R. R., & Davidson, B. J. (1980). Attention and the detection of signals. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 109, 160-174.
PEBL-Specific References:
These studies used the PEBL version of this task.
- Mueller, S. T. (2011). The PEBL Spatial Cueing Task. Computer software retrieved from http://pebl.sf.net/battery.html
Data Output
The task produces a trial-by-trial CSV and a text report with RT statistics broken down by validity condition, stimulus location, and cue direction.
spatialcueing-{subnum}.csv
Example Data
example-data.csv Primary
Trial-by-trial data for each cueing trial
| subnum | trial | cue | stim | correct | delay | rt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 482 | 109 |
| 111 | 2 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 283 | 41728 |
| 111 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 212 | 725 |
| 111 | 4 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 93 | 414 |
| 111 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 544 | 294 |
| 111 | 6 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 688 | 696 |
| 111 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 148 | 325 |
| 111 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 209 | 340 |
| 111 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 636 | 370 |
example-report.txt Summary
Summary statistics: RT by validity (valid/neutral/invalid), by stimulus location (left/right), and by cue direction (left/neutral/right)
--------------------------------------------------- Report for PEBL's Spatial Cueing Task (Posner Cueing Paradigm) PEBL Version 2.4 Tue Mar 31 20:06:45 2026 Participant Code: 111 --------------------------------------------------- RT stats by Validity Condition Cond N median mean sd ----------------------- Invalid -1 10 360.5 402.4 102.062 Neutral 0 10 340.5 4485.9 12414.1 Valid 1 30 339 350.667 106.687 RT stats by Stimulus Location Cond N median mean sd ----------------------- Left -1 25 344 2003.12 8109.11 Right 1 25 354 373 120.654 RT stats by Cue Direction Cond N median mean sd ----------------------- Left -1 20 352.5 352.45 103.741 Neutral 0 10 340.5 4485.9 12414.1 Right 1 20 357.5 374.75 110.789 ------------------------------------------------
Sample data showing typical output format. Actual values will vary by participant.
About This Test
A classic spatial cueing paradigm (Posner's cueing task) measuring attentional orienting via valid, invalid, and neutral cues.
Category: Attention
Estimated Duration: 8 minutes
Available Translations: 7 languages
Documentation Status: Complete