Arrow Direction Task

Platform: HTML · English · verified 79d ago

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Description

Participants are presented with a single left- or right-pointing arrow preceded by an auditory cue (beep). The delay between the cue and arrow onset is randomised (1–2 s) to prevent anticipatory responses. Participants respond as quickly and accurately as possible using the left or right arrow key. The task includes a 6-trial practice phase with accuracy and RT feedback, followed by 60 main trials (30 left, 30 right, pseudorandomised). First deployed as part of a multi-session cognitive study of League of Legends players run jointly by the University of Geneva and the University of Wisconsin.

Contact & Lab

Lab

Brain and Learning Lab

unige.ch

Principal investigator

Daphné Bavelier

daphne.bavelier@unige.ch

University of Geneva

Contributors

Daphné Bavelier

University of Geneva

Supervision

Hugo Farajallah

University of Geneva

Software

Citation

Donders, F. C. (1969). On the speed of mental processes. Acta Psychologica, 30, 412–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-6918(69)90065-1
Large, A. M., Bediou, B., Hart, Y., Bavelier, D., & Green, C. S. (2019). Cognitive and behavioral correlates of achievement in a complex multi-player video game. Media and Communication, 7(4), 198–212. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v7i4.2314

Credits

Developed at the Brain and Learning Lab, University of Geneva. Web port to jsPsych by Hugo Farajallah.

Domains

Attention

Response Speed

Visuomotor Processing

Target Population

Age Categories

young adults

middle age

Clinical Status

non-clinical

Additional Notes

Originally validated with adult gamers (18+). Suitable for any adult population.

Languages

English

Run under

Engine

HTML / JavaScript

Format

Online + in-lab

Modalities

behavioral

Task Outputs

What it measures

Choice reaction time and accuracy in response to left/right arrow stimuli, reflecting visuomotor response speed and basic attentional engagement.

Output formats

json

Trial-by-trial data captured client-side (preview mode) or stored server-side via MySQL (production). Each entry corresponds to one trial.

Experimental design

Trial-based

60 trials

Within-subject: arrowDirection

Conditions

Arrow direction

left

right

— Direction of the target arrow. Equal number of left and right trials, pseudorandomised.

Key measures for analysis

Mean reaction time
RT standard deviation (intraindividual variability)
Overall accuracy
RT per direction (left vs. right)

Recorded variables

Variable	Role	Type	Description	Unit
`trial`	metadata	number	Trial index (0-based)	-
`arrowDirection`	independent	string	Direction of the presented arrow Values: left, right	-
`delayDuration`	independent	number	Planned delay between auditory cue offset and arrow onset	ms
`rt`	dependent	number	Reaction time from arrow onset to key press	ms
`response`	dependent	string	Key pressed by the participant Values: left, right	-
`correct`	dependent	boolean	Whether the response matched the arrow direction	-
`trialStartTime`	metadata	number	Timestamp of trial start relative to task start	ms
`soundEndTime`	metadata	number	Timestamp of auditory cue offset	ms
`onsetTime`	metadata	number	Timestamp of arrow onset	ms

Provenance

Source: nccr-seed

Fetched: 2026-03-23

Last verified: 2026-04-29 — passed

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Additional Information

Created Date

2026-03-23

Last Modified

2026-04-29