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Antisaccade Task

T000032T000032-antisaccadeSmoke testedWeb preview availableUpdated Jun 20, 2026

Rule-dependent inhibitory control with prosaccade versus antisaccade responses.

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Clone locally, then follow the README for install and run instructions.

git clone https://github.com/TaskBeacon/T000032-antisaccade.git
cd T000032-antisaccade
# Follow the README for local setup and run steps

README

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Antisaccade Task

Field	Value
Name	Antisaccade Task
Version	v0.1.4-dev
URL / Repository	https://github.com/TaskBeacon/T000032-antisaccade
Short Description	Rule-dependent inhibitory control with prosaccade versus antisaccade responses.
Created By	TaskBeacon
Date Updated	2026-03-18
PsyFlow Version	0.1.12
PsychoPy Version	2025.1.1
Modality	Behavior
Language	Chinese
Voice Name	zh-CN-YunyangNeural (voice disabled by default)

1. Task Overview

This task implements a two-condition antisaccade paradigm:

prosaccade: respond toward the target side.
antisaccade: respond opposite the target side.

Each logical trial presents a fixation baseline, a rule cue, a short gap, and a lateralized target response window. The build uses keyboard direction keys (f/j) as a portable proxy for gaze direction.

The task no longer uses a separate controller object. Trial-specific rule, target-side, and timing values are generated by a deterministic helper in src/utils.py from the block seed and trial id, which keeps the runtime auditable without maintaining cross-trial mutable state.

2. Task Flow

Task Flow

Block-Level Flow

Step	Description
1. Block setup	Load the block condition stream with `BlockUnit.generate_conditions(...)` and resolve the per-block seed.
2. Trial execution	Run fixation -> rule cue -> gap -> saccade response -> ITI for each logical trial.
3. Block summary	Summarize only logical trial rows from the completed block and show accuracy, correct RT, and timeout count.
4. Final summary	Show session-level totals and save the reduced CSV output.

Trial-Level Flow

Step	Description
`fixation`	Show center fixation and left/right peripheral anchors.
`rule_cue`	Present condition cue (`朝圆点` or `背离圆点`).
`gap`	Remove cue and keep neutral anchors before target onset.
`saccade_response`	Present one lateral target and capture left/right response under deadline.
`iti`	Show neutral fixation scene until next trial.

Helper Logic

Component	Description
Rule parser	Validates `prosaccade` vs `antisaccade` and rejects unknown labels.
Deterministic spec builder	Samples target side from a stable seed basis (`block_seed + trial_id`) and computes the correct key.
Summary helpers	Aggregate reduced rows into accuracy, mean correct RT, timeout count, and total trials.

Controller Logic

Component	Description
Task-local controller	Not used. Deterministic helper logic in `src/utils.py` replaces mutable controller state.

Runtime Context Phases

Phase Label	Meaning
`fixation`	Neutral baseline before the rule cue.
`rule_cue`	Rule preparation period.
`gap`	Cue-target separation interval.
`saccade_response`	Active response capture window.
`iti`	Inter-trial reset interval.

3. Configuration Summary

a. Subject Info

Field	Meaning
`subject_id`	3-digit participant identifier.

b. Window Settings

Parameter	Value
`size`	`[1280, 720]`
`units`	`pix`
`screen`	`0`
`bg_color`	`gray`
`fullscreen`	`false`
`monitor_width_cm`	`35.5`
`monitor_distance_cm`	`60`

c. Stimuli

Stimulus Group	Description
`fixation`	Central fixation cross used in fixation/gap/ITI phases.
`rule_pro`, `rule_anti`	Color-coded rule cues (`朝圆点`, `背离圆点`).
`left_anchor`, `right_anchor`	Peripheral position anchors shown before target onset.
`left_target`, `right_target`	Lateral white target circles for directional response.
`instruction_text`, `block_break`, `good_bye`	Entry, transition, and completion text screens.

d. Timing

Stage	Duration
fixation	uniform in `fixation_duration` range
rule cue	uniform in `cue_duration` range
gap	uniform in `gap_duration` range
response window	`response_deadline`
ITI	`iti_duration`

e. Helper Logic

Helper	Purpose
`src/utils.py`	Deterministic trial-spec generation and summary aggregation.
`task.enable_logging`	Enables the helper to emit auditable trial-spec logging.

f. Triggers

Trigger	Code	Semantics
`exp_onset`	1	experiment start
`exp_end`	2	experiment end
`block_onset`	10	block start
`block_end`	11	block end
`fixation_onset`	20	fixation onset
`rule_pro_onset`	21	prosaccade rule cue onset
`rule_anti_onset`	22	antisaccade rule cue onset
`gap_onset`	30	gap onset
`target_onset_left`	40	left target onset
`target_onset_right`	41	right target onset
`response_left`	50	left response key
`response_right`	51	right response key
`response_timeout`	60	no response before deadline
`iti_onset`	70	inter-trial interval onset

4. Methods (for academic publication)

Participants completed a rule-based oculomotor inhibition task containing prosaccade and antisaccade trials. Each trial began with fixation, followed by an explicit rule cue and a short cue-target gap, then a lateral target requiring a directional response. Prosaccade trials required same-side responses relative to target location; antisaccade trials required opposite-side responses.

Behavioral outputs were logged at trial level, including condition, target side, response key, correctness, reaction time, and timeout status. The implementation emits phase-aligned triggers for fixation, cue, gap, target onset, response category, and ITI to support synchronized acquisition workflows.