Managing Complexity in Psychology Experiment Generation

管理心理学实验生成中的复杂性

基本信息

批准号：
7055089
负责人：
Anthony P Zuccolotto
金额：
$ 39.61万
依托单位：
PSYCHOLOGY SOFTWARE TOOLS, INC.
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2004
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2004-08-01 至 2008-04-30
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

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.

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目将开发新技术，以提高心理学实验生成工具的效率、功率、精度、安全性和易用性。拟议研究的结果将发挥关键作用，为数千个研究实验室使用的创新和产品提供技术基础。这将改善与学习、心理健康、发展和社会互动相关的心理问题的研究，进而造福数百万公民。该提案开发的方法将使心理学、神经科学和临床研究人员能够应对基于计算机的实验和基于互联网的数据收集日益复杂的情况。该项目将解决与基于计算机的行为和生物数据收集相关的五个关键挑战。它将提供研究和技术解决方案，包括：1）实验规范技术，允许高效地创建复杂、准确的计算机化行为实验，为研究人员提供适度的学习时间和较低的错误概率； 2) 即使操作系统计时不稳定且用户对系统性能调整了解有限，也能在标准个人计算机上保持精确计时（0.1 ms）； 3) 允许分布式实验管理的互联网工具，可以在多个站点和防火墙之间以较低的用户工作量维持计时精度和安全性，4) 可以快速学习并连接到标准分析流的自动化数据管理和分析工具； 5) 教程工具、范式库和数据管理的全面集成。该项目将开发接口、计时、通信、数据管理和支持技术以及广泛的可用性实证测试。第一阶段 SBIR 工作实现了雄心勃勃的里程碑，并产生了第一个关于实验生成可用性的正式行为数据。工程原型超出了精度要求，并产生了作为临时专利申请基础的新方法。该研究可能会产生市场领先的产品，这些产品可能会在第二阶段工作开始后的五年内被购买并安装在 5000 多个研究实验室中。