Nice work, Richard! (And thanks for the shout-out). I created an account and ran through the test once. Just curious about a difference between your test vs. Seth's test that he implemented in R code. Seth's script presented the user with a random digit 2 through 8, and the user had to hit the corresponding key on the keyboard. Your test just has a single type of stimulus (the red circle). Was Seth's protocol too complex for Bolt to implement? Or did you have other reasons to simplify the app?
I believe Seth must have developed several versions of his reaction time test. The R code that he sent me presented the digits 2 through 8 to the user, in random order, such that each digit appeared five times -- for a total of 35 trials per testing session. This test measured "choice reaction time" vs. "simple reaction time". If the user hit the wrong key on the keyboard, the app would do a "correction trial", where you would have to press the correct key (this was done as a way to force you to practice). Only correct trials were counted. Doing a choice reaction time test requires more cognitive processing because you have to decide which key to hit. This is the protocol I used for my self-experiments on caffeine, soy, flax oil, and creatine (though I used a version of the app that I developed myself, not the original one Seth wrote). Seth also had another version that I never tried, where the user was presented with a simple arithmetic problem, like "13-7", and would have to hit the correct answer (e.g., 6 in this case) on the keyboard. Seth experimented with this approach but ultimately abandoned it because he was making too many mistakes.
Thanks for another brilliant post, Richard—fantastic on so many levels. Great memories of Seth.
Nice work, Richard! (And thanks for the shout-out). I created an account and ran through the test once. Just curious about a difference between your test vs. Seth's test that he implemented in R code. Seth's script presented the user with a random digit 2 through 8, and the user had to hit the corresponding key on the keyboard. Your test just has a single type of stimulus (the red circle). Was Seth's protocol too complex for Bolt to implement? Or did you have other reasons to simplify the app?
Hmm, I don’t remember a version where you tap a random digit. The R source he gave me uses the red circle
I believe Seth must have developed several versions of his reaction time test. The R code that he sent me presented the digits 2 through 8 to the user, in random order, such that each digit appeared five times -- for a total of 35 trials per testing session. This test measured "choice reaction time" vs. "simple reaction time". If the user hit the wrong key on the keyboard, the app would do a "correction trial", where you would have to press the correct key (this was done as a way to force you to practice). Only correct trials were counted. Doing a choice reaction time test requires more cognitive processing because you have to decide which key to hit. This is the protocol I used for my self-experiments on caffeine, soy, flax oil, and creatine (though I used a version of the app that I developed myself, not the original one Seth wrote). Seth also had another version that I never tried, where the user was presented with a simple arithmetic problem, like "13-7", and would have to hit the correct answer (e.g., 6 in this case) on the keyboard. Seth experimented with this approach but ultimately abandoned it because he was making too many mistakes.
Thanks. For what it's worth, the copy I received is at https://github.com/personalscience/braintracker