BLAST (Bron/Lyon Attention Stability Test)

Platform: HTML · English · verified today

This is a task in the RobbinGobblin Study study. Click to know more.

Local data export available

This task saves data locally in your browser and offers a download at the end of the session. For production use, you will need your own server-side persistence.

Description

The Bavelierlab adaptation (Rioja & Denkinger, 2024, v1.0) of the BLAST task from Lachaux (2018), built in jsPsych 7 and run in the RobbinGobblin study. Each trial: a target letter flashes centrally for 200 ms, a 1-hash mask for 500 ms, then an array of 3 (Go) or 4 (NoGo) letters plus a central hash appears for up to 3800 ms — press F if the flashed target is part of the array, J if not. A 5-hash mask follows for 300 ms, then an 800 ms buffer (correct) or 3800 ms (incorrect, as a time penalty). Targets cycle through a 12-letter pool without repetition before exhaustion, target position never repeats between consecutive trials, and Go/NoGo proportions average ~50/50. A 4-trial practice (pass ≥3 correct, up to 3 blocks) gates the single 120-trial main block. Letter width 0.5° VA, array distance 0.707° from center, using the jsPsych virtual-chinrest calibration and browser-check. Viewing-distance calibration, fullscreen, and browser checks run in-timeline. The port replaces only the PHP save (results download as JSON) and the study-dashboard redirect.

Contact & Lab

Lab

Brain and Learning Lab

unige.ch

Principal investigator

Daphné Bavelier

University of Geneva

Task contact

daphne.bavelier@unige.ch

Contributors

Kenneth Rioja

University of Geneva

Software

Sylvie Chantal Denkinger

University of Geneva

Investigation

Methodology

Daphné Bavelier

University of Geneva

Supervision

Hugo Farajallah

University of Geneva

Software

Data Curation

Citation

Rioja, K., & Denkinger, S. (2024). Bavelierlab adapted BLAST from Lachaux (2018) (Version 1.0) [Computer software].
de Leeuw, J. R. (2015). jsPsych: A JavaScript library for creating behavioral experiments in a Web browser. Behavior Research Methods, 47(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-014-0458-y
Li, Q., Joo, S. J., Yeatman, J. D., & Reinecke, K. (2020). Controlling for participants' viewing distance in large-scale, psychophysical online experiments using a virtual chinrest. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 904. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-57204-1

Credits

Bavelierlab adapted BLAST (Rioja & Denkinger, 2024), client-side port from the RG-study (gitlab.unige.ch/bavelierlab/rg-study). CC-BY 4.0.

Domains

Attention

Inhibitory Control

Part of suite:

RobbinGobblin Study

Target Population

Age Categories

young adults

middle age

Clinical Status

non-clinical

Additional Notes

Run online in the RobbinGobblin study with adult participants recruited via Qualtrics/Prolific; requires a screen-calibration step and an uninterrupted, fullscreened session.

Languages

English

Run under

Engine

HTML / JavaScript

Format

Online (browser)

Modalities

behavioral

Task Outputs

What it measures

Measure sustained attention and response inhibition (hits, false alarms, misses, correct rejections, RT) over a single 120-trial block.

Output formats

json

One JSON download per participant: filtered jsPsych trial rows (rg-blast-data.json).

Experimental design

Trial-based

120 trials

Within-subject: trial_type

Conditions

trial_type

Go (target in array)

NoGo (target absent)

— ~50% Go / 50% NoGo on average; array of 3 letters (Go) or 4 (NoGo).

Key measures for analysis

Hit rate
False-alarm rate
Miss rate
Correct-rejection rate
Mean RT for hits

Recorded variables

Variable	Role	Type	Description	Unit
`trial_name`	metadata	string	Trial stage name (array, buffer, practice, …)	-
`trial_type`	independent	string	Go or NoGo	-
`response`	dependent	string	Key pressed (f/j)	-
`accuracy`	dependent	boolean	Correctness	-
`rt`	dependent	number	Response time from array onset	ms
`px2deg`	metadata	number	Pixels per degree from virtual chinrest	-

Administration

Duration: ≈ 13 min
Sessions: 1
Input: keyboard
Audio: no audio
Adaptivity: fixed
Pause / resume: No
Practice phase: Yes
Offline-capable: Yes
Sessions notes: Administered at pre-test and post-test in the RobbinGobblin study; each administration is a single sitting.