4 research outputs found
Gorilla in our midst: An online behavioral experiment builder
Behavioral researchers are increasingly conducting their studies online, to gain access to large and diverse samples that would be
difficult to get in a laboratory environment. However, there are technical access barriers to building experiments online, and web
browsers can present problems for consistent timingâan important issue with reaction-time-sensitive measures. For example, to ensure
accuracy and testâretest reliability in presentation and response recording, experimenters need a working knowledge of programming
languages such as JavaScript. We review some of the previous and current tools for online behavioral research, as well as how well they
address the issues of usability and timing. We then present the Gorilla Experiment Builder (gorilla.sc), a fully tooled experiment
authoring and deployment platform, designed to resolve many timing issues and make reliable online experimentation open and
accessible to a wider range of technical abilities. To demonstrate the platformâs aptitude for accessible, reliable, and scalable research,
we administered a task with a range of participant groups (primary school children and adults), settings (without supervision, at home,
and under supervision, in both schools and public engagement events), equipment (participantâs own computer, computer supplied by
the researcher), and connection types (personal internet connection, mobile phone 3G/4G). We used a simplified flanker task taken
from the attentional network task (Rueda, Posner, & Rothbart, 2004). We replicated the Bconflict network^ effect in all these
populations, demonstrating the platformâs capability to run reaction-time-sensitive experiments. Unresolved limitations of running
experiments online are then discussed, along with potential solutions and some future features of the platform
Recommended from our members
Direct and indirect links between childrenâs socio-economic status and education: pathways via mental health, attitude, and cognition
AbstractA childâs socio-economic environment can profoundly affect their development. While existing literature focusses on simplified metrics and pair-wise relations between few variables, we aimed to capture complex interrelationships between several relevant domains using a broad assessment of 519 children aged 7â9Â years. Our analyses comprised three multivariate techniques that complimented each other, and worked at different levels of granularity. First, an exploratory factor analysis (principal component analysis followed by varimax rotation) revealed that our sample varied along continuous dimensions of cognition, attitude and mental health (from parallel analysis); with potentially emerging dimensions speed and socio-economic status (passed Kaiserâs criterion). Second, k-means cluster analysis showed that children did not group into discrete phenotypes. Third, a network analysis on the basis of bootstrapped partial correlations (confirmed by both cross-validated LASSO and multiple comparisons correction of binarised connection probabilities) uncovered how our developmental measures interconnected: educational outcomes (reading and maths fluency) were directly related to cognition (short-term memory, number sense, processing speed, inhibition). By contrast, mental health (anxiety and depression symptoms) and attitudes (conscientiousness, grit, growth mindset) showed indirect relationships with educational outcomes via cognition. Finally, socio-economic factors (neighbourhood deprivation, family affluence) related directly to educational outcomes, cognition, mental health, and even grit. In sum, cognition is a central cog through which mental health and attitude relate to educational outcomes. However, through direct relations with all components of developmental outcomes, socio-economic status acts as a great âunequaliserâ.</jats:p
Subjective SES is associated with childrenâs neurophysiological response to auditory oddballs
Language and reading acquisition are strongly associated with a childâs socioeconomic environment (SES). There are a number of potential explanations for this relationship. We explore one potential explanationâa childâs SES is associated with how children discriminate word-like sounds (i.e., phonological processing), a foundational skill for reading acquisition. Magnetoencephalography data from a sample of 71 children (aged 6 years 11 monthsâ12 years 3 months), during a passive auditory oddball task containing word and non-word deviants, were used to test where (which sensors) and when (at what time) any association may occur. We also investigated associations between cognition, education, and this neurophysiological response. We report differences in the neural processing of word and non-word deviant tones at an early N200 component (likely representing early sensory processing) and a later P300 component (likely representing attentional and/or semantic processing). More interestingly we found Parental Subjective SES (the parents rating of their own relative affluence) was convincingly associated with later responses, but there were no significant associations with equivalised income. This suggests that the socioeconomic environment as rated by their parents, is associated with underlying phonological detection skills. Furthermore, this correlation likely occurs at a later time-point in information processing, associated with semantic and attentional processes. In contrast, household income is not significantly associated with these skills. One possibility is that the subjective assessment of SES is more impactful on neural mechanisms of phonological processing than the less complex and more objective measure of household income