An Apple microcomputer-based laboratory system for the study of visual-motor behavior

An apparatus for studying motor control and visual-motor coordination is described. The system consists of an Apple II+ with two expansions boards installed. One board provides advanced graphics capabilities; the other interfaces the Apple with a digitizing tablet and also provides a real-time clock. Target stimulus and visual feedback concerning self-produced movement (i.e., a cursor) are displayed on a standard video monitor, and movement data are sampled by the digitizing tablet. Software consists of about 3K bytes of assembled 6502 code and a 2K byte Applesoft BASIC program. The system is inexpensive, versatile, and particularly well suited for developmental research. It has been used with human subjects as young as 3 years of age.     

Optical and electronic systems for spatial and temporal analysis of video images

In this paper are described two systems for spatial (two-dimensional coordinates) and temporal analysis of video images. In the optical version, the Apple IIe generates a pointer on an Apple monitor; the pointer is then superimposed on the video image of a second video monitor, by reflecting the pointer with a half-silvered mirror. In the electronic version, a special card was designed for the Apple IIe to generate a pointer directly on the other video monitor. Both systems use the same software. The procedures of spatial and temporal data acquisition and storage are described as well as the reading, writing, printing, removing, listing, chaining, and dating operations of the digital and graphics files.     

A microcomputer-based system for evoked-potential augmenting/reducing measurements

Evoked-potential measurements can readily be implemented on a microcomputer. We present as an example a system for obtaining an evoked-potential augmenting/reducing measure using the Apple II microcomputer. Specialized features of the PASCAL program and peripheral equipment are described.     

Screen blanking on the Apple IIe

Screen blanking on the Apple IIe can be controlled by software after an annunciator output is connected to the chip enable line (Pin 18) of the character generator (UF4). Using Annunciator 3 gives the same functional results with the Apple IIe as does Reed’s (1979) hardware modification for the Apple II and Apple II+.     

DataVision: A computer-based system for generating and reading digital information accompanying video images on videotape

An Apple IIe-based system is described that generates both machine-readable and human-readable numbers for recording with visual information on videotape. Hardware and software components of the encoding system are detailed. An automatic decoding system that reads the numbers from videotape into computer memory is also described. Current applications of the system are briefly discussed.     

Apple II/FIRST system control of electrical brain stimulation in the rabbit

An Apple II/FIRST system has been developed to control classical conditioning experiments, collect analog data, and extract dependent variable measures of conditioning from uniphasic (Scandrett & Gormezano, 1980) and multiphasic (Johnson, 1981) response signals. The present paper details the development of an electrical brain stimulation system as a peripheral device to the Apple II/FIRST system. In addition, data are presented that document the capabilities of the EBS system to concurrently stimulate up to eight animals while values along the dimension of each of four stimulation parameters are manipulated by a program written in FIRST. In our judgment, the EBS system has a number of advantages over currently available commercial stimulators, including cost, number of sites that can be independently stimulated, and availability of complete software control.     

An inexpensive real-time microcomputer-based cognitive laboratory system

A computer system, based on the Radio Shack Color Computer, for running experiments in cognitive psychology is described. The system was designed according to the following principles: first, all of the equipment should consist of inexpensive, off-the-shelf components; second, the language used to implement experiments should have real-time commands embedded within the character strings to be displayed, and these real-time commands should be interpreted at run time; third, the system should serve multiple subjects, yet one host should be able to run display terminals for several subjects on independent experiments; and fourth, the system should be able to interface to other display devices and other response-recording devices. Two examples of other devices are discussed: an oscilloscope for rapid visual display and an Apple Macintosh for display of pictures.     

Using an Apple II microcomputer for real-time control in a behavioral laboratory

This report describes the hardware and software developed to implement an Apple II (48 KB) as a real-time control device for operant experiments. The hardware has a straightforward design, so that it is readily understandable and can be built by individuals with only minimal experience in the use of integrated circuits and other electronic components. The software routines listed below represent an approach to controlling and handling the data generated by an operant experiment. Using these routines, we are able to record each response and experimental event, the time of the occurrence, and the conditions at that time.     

Experimental control and data acquisition with BASIC in the Apple computer

Laboratory experiments can be precisely controlled and data can be collected using the BASIC language on an Apple II+ computer with 48-KB RAM, disk drive, and two timer-I/O cards. The Apple BASIC makes machine language output control routines necessary, but quite convenient. By compiling BASIC, 50–100 inputs/sec are handled. Applications range from operant research and analog data collection to use of the Apple color display capability for stimulus presentations and response recording.     

A proposal for an auditory sensation cognitive architecture and its integration with the motor-system cognitive function

The auditory system is capable of producing a wide range of information through the acquisition and perception of the vibrations present in the environment, even when the receptor is not directly facing the stimulus’s source. Said information can be crucial for survival and useful for a variety of systems like the visual system and the motor system. Despite that, the quantity of studies involving the auditory system or its interactions with other systems is limited, even though anatomical evidence recognizes this relationships’ existence. In this work, we study its interaction with the motor system. A bio-inspired model that explores the relationship between the auditory and motor systems, grounded on neuroscientific research, is presented to address this proposal. To validate our proposal, a case study in which we endow a virtual entity with our proposed model. Then, we ask both a group of persons and the virtual creature to compute and face towards the direction were the sound was originated.     

What is Apple-Psych?

Apple Psych, a system of software subroutines written in Apple Pascal and 6502 assembly language, was designed to run real-time psychological experiments on the Apple II, II+, and IIe microcomputers. This paper describes the minimum system requirements necessary to run Apple-Psych, the capabilities of the basic system, and the advantages and disadvantages of using Apple-Psych. Because the utility of a system to a researcher is often linked to its flexibility and expandability, this paper includes a brief discussion of hardware expansions already supported by the Apple Psych software and hardware expansions that would require additional software support.     

Bend it like Beckham: Embodying the motor skills of famous athletes

Observing an action activates the same representations as does the actual performance of the action. Here we show for the first time that the action system can also be activated in the complete absence of action perception. When the participants had to identify the faces of famous athletes, the responses were influenced by their similarity to the motor skills of the athletes. Thus, the motor skills of the viewed athletes were retrieved automatically during person identification and had a direct influence on the action system of the observer. However, our results also indicated that motor behaviours that are implicit characteristics of other people are represented differently from when actions are directly observed. That is, unlike the facilitatory effects reported when actions were seen, the embodiment of the motor behaviour that is not concurrently perceived gave rise to contrast effects where responses similar to the behaviour of the athletes were inhibited.     

Bend it like Beckham: embodying the motor skills of famous athletes

Observing an action activates the same representations as does the actual performance of the action. Here we show for the first time that the action system can also be activated in the complete absence of action perception. When the participants had to identify the faces of famous athletes, the responses were influenced by their similarity to the motor skills of the athletes. Thus, the motor skills of the viewed athletes were retrieved automatically during person identification and had a direct influence on the action system of the observer. However, our results also indicated that motor behaviours that are implicit characteristics of other people are represented differently from when actions are directly observed. That is, unlike the facilitatory effects reported when actions were seen, the embodiment of the motor behaviour that is not concurrently perceived gave rise to contrast effects where responses similar to the behaviour of the athletes were inhibited.     

Effects of physical fatigue and cognitive challenges on the potential for low back injury

There is no question that the motor control system will adapt under fatiguing conditions; however, there is documented evidence showing that when fatigued or challenged, the motor control system will, on occasion, perform inappropriate muscle sequencing, increasing the risk of injury, or directly causing injury. Knowing that inappropriate muscle activations can lead to injury, the purpose of this study was to investigate motor patterns during cognitive and physical challenges. Rather than ensure change with severe challenges, milder challenges were purposefully chosen. Eight male subjects performed a low external load task performed near end ROM while in an unchallenged state, and while in three challenged states: passive tissue creep, muscle fatigue and cognitive distraction. Data were collected using EMG of the trunk muscles and angular displacement of the lumbar spine. Comparison of motor control patterns between the unchallenged state and each of the three challenged conditions showed no systematic differences. However, several random anomalies were observed. A case study of a single subject was chosen to show inappropriate motor control during one trial under the cognitive distraction conditions. The response of the motor control system is very individualized and does on occasion produce inappropriate motor patterns. This supports the notion that injury may also occur as the result of random motor control errors as well as predictable, systematic changes.     

A split-screen electronic messaging system for Apple II computers

A method is described for configuring an Apple II+ or Apple IIe computer to create a multiuser, multiwindowed, electronic messaging system for use in computer-mediated communication research.     

Microprocessor control and A/D data acquisition in classical conditioning

An Apple II/FIRST system has been developed to control classical conditioning experiments, collect analog data, and to extract dependent variable measures of conditioning. With our selection of the Apple II microprocessor and an added hardware floating-point processor, we have been able to establish independent computer systems for each of our three conditioning laboratories at a fraction of the cost of our DEC PDP-8/e (which was interfaced to only one of our laboratories). Moreover, our software system, FIRST, an interactive, high-level, dictionary-based language, is a programming and control system whose flexibility and ease of programming far exceeds that experienced with our DEC PDP-8/e system (Millenson, Kehoe, Tait, á Gormezano, 1973; Tait & Gormezano, 1974). In our judgment, the Apple II/FIRST system is of unprecedented efficiency and versatility for the control, data acquisition, and data analysis of analog responses in classical conditioning experiments.     

Ruler vs. the Apple II/FIRST system analysis of analog signals in classical conditioning

In our judgment, the Apple II/FIRST system (Scandrett & Gormezano, 1980) is an efficient and versatile system for experimental control and data acquisition in classical conditioning experiments. However, these attributes would be of limited value if the system did not extract measures from our analog signals with a high degree of correspondence with our ruler measurement procedures. Accordingly, we determined the system’s validity in extracting measures of CR occurrence and CR latency in three conditioning experiments. Pearson productmoment correlation coefficients indicated a very satisfactory degree of agreement on measurements made by the Apple II/FIRST system and ruler. Moreover, intraclass correlations and analysis of variance procedures applied to percent CRs and CR latency revealed several small, but divergent, differences between ruler and computer measurement of CR latency across the three experiments. However, subsequent analyses of variance revealed that the number and pattern of significant sources of variation for ruler or computer measurements were virtually identical. Accordingly, we have concluded that our system can successfully replace our traditional method of ruler measurement.     

MIDI and Macintosh: Searching for a better mousetrap

This paper will explore how MIDI (musical instrument digital interface)-technology can benefit researchers interested in using Apple Macintosh computers for stimulus control and response timing. One example presented here will illustrate how MIDI equipment can be adapted to provide millisecond precision response timing that cannot be obtained with solely software-based timing techniques. Another example will show how to use MIDI to control sound-generating devices that far surpass the sound-producing capabilities built into the Macintosh. There will also be a discussion of how certain MIDI equipment can provide information on the velocity and the duration of a response that is not available with traditional laboratory hardware. The examples presented here rely on a commercial software library called MIDIBASIC that was designed to be used with Microsoft QuickBasic. The availability of a millisecond timer that can be called from QuickBasic may offer a special advantage for researchers who have previously written programs in an Apple II environment using AppleSoft Basic.     

A Web-based digitized video image system for the study of motor coordination

A Web-based instructional project for the study of motor coordination is presented. The project includes two components: a tutorial on motor coordination and an interactive digitized video image system developed for the analysis of motion, including topics in biomechanics, motor coordination, motor control, and motor skill. This interactive system allows for the quantitative analysis of stored video images that are accessible from the World-Wide Web. The use of this digitizing system for the measurement and analysis of human locomotion coordination patterns is presented.     

A jiffy clock for the Apple IIc,II+, and IIe with a mouse

A “jiffy clock” is presented for the Apple lIc or other Apple II having Apple’s mouse card. The clock allows timing of events to tenths of a second, and is read from BASIC. A convenient elapsed timer function is provided as well.