Cross-modal Sequences

Description

Participants learn 6-item sequences drawn from six semantic categories (animals, body parts, characters, colors, landscapes, shapes). Six unique sequence structures (A–F) are defined by the ordering of categories, such that each category occupies a unique ordinal position across structures and every between-item transition is unique across the set. Each structure is instantiated twice with different exemplars, yielding 12 sequences total, split across two runs (A1–F1 and A2–F2). Items are presented one at a time in either image or word modality, alternating across sequences. The experiment uses a hierarchical block structure: a mini-block consists of three sequences each presented twice in alternating modalities (6 sequence presentations, 36 items total), with items spaced by a 1500 ± 50 ms ISI. Three mini-blocks form a block, and four blocks constitute a run. The six sequences per run are distributed such that each appears in exactly two of the four blocks. After each mini-block, a test phase consists of 6 trials (one per sequence–modality combination). Each trial begins with the first item of the sequence, displayed in the same modality as the corresponding presentation, fading out over 5 seconds as a cue identifying which sequence is being tested. A target item then appears for 3 seconds, during which participants retrieve its ordinal position. They then indicate their response via button press: the cue occupies slot 1 and the target starts at slot 2; participants shift it rightward and confirm within a 2-second window. Three 7-point Likert sliders (vigilance, focus, off-task thoughts) are collected at each block boundary, before (vigilance and focus) and after (off-task thoughts) a 30 second eyes-open rest period. Each sequence is uniquely associated with a specific musical note played on a distinct instrument, sounded at item onset throughout the task. At the very end of the experiment, these sounds are replayed during an eyes-closed resting period to probe targeted memory reactivation (TMR). At the end of each run, participants perform a full sequence reconstruction task, in which they must recall the complete ordered structure of each sequence. Monetary rewards are allocated based on performance on this final reconstruction, with half the sequences per run designated as rewarded, though their identity is not disclosed until this point. Parallel-port triggers and photodiode flashes support MEG/EEG acquisition.

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