Managing Complexity in Psychology Experiment Generation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project will develop new technologies to advance the efficiency, power, precision, security, and ease of use of tools for psychology experiment generation. Results from proposed studies will play a pivotal role in providing the technical foundation for innovations and products that will be used in thousands of research laboratories. This will improve the research on psychological problems related to learning, mental health, development, and social interaction which in turn may benefit millions of citizens. This proposal develops methods that will allow psychological, neuroscience and clinical researchers to cope with the growing complexity of computer based-experimentation and Internet-based data collection. This project will address five key challenges related to computer-based behavioral and biological data collection. It will provide research and technical solutions including: 1) an experiment specification technology that will allow efficient creation of complex accurate computerized behavioral experiments with modest learning time for the researcher and low probability of error; 2) methods to maintain precision timing (0.1 ms) on standard personal computers even when the operating system timing is erratic and the user has limited understanding of performance tuning of the system; 3) Internet tools that allow distributed experiment management that can maintain timing precision and security across multiple sites and across firewalls with low user effort, 4) automated data management and analysis tools that can quickly be learned and connected to standard analysis streams; and 5) comprehensible integration of tutorial tools, paradigms libraries and data management. The project will develop interface, timing, communication, data management, and support technologies and extensive empirical testing of usability. The Phase I SBIR effort met the ambitious milestones and produced the first formal behavioral data published regarding usability in experiment generation. The engineering prototypes exceeded the precision requirements and lead to new methods that were the basis of a provisional patent application. The research will likely result in market-leading products that are likely to be purchased and installed in over 5000 research laboratories within five years of the start date of the Phase II effort.