RWMODEL: A program in Turbo Pascal for simulating predictions based on the Rescorla-Wagner model of classical conditioning

A Turbo Pascal computer program is described that simulates the Rescorla-Wagner model of classical conditioning. The menu-driven program makes it possible to compute associative strengths for differential conditioning, conditioned inhibition, compound and contextual conditionings, trans-switching, and other designs.     

A warning about millisecond timing in Turbo Pascal

It is shown that the “readkey“ function in Turbo Pascal 4.0 runs in cycles of about 40 msec, and thus must not be used to wait for a keyboard response in reaction time studies.     

Turbo Pascal timing routines for the IBM microcomputer family

Two Turbo Pascal (versions 3.0 and 4.0) software timers for the IBM microcomputer family are described: one with a 55-msec resolution and another with a 1-msec resolution. Both can be implemented without additional hardware requirements. The 55-msec timer makes use of the system-time-of-day clock; the 1-msec timer is a Turbo Pascal translation of the timer described by Bührer, Sparrer, and Weitkunat (1987). The logic of each timer is shown by a short demonstration program.     

MICELAB: Spatial processing of mouse movement in Turbo Pascal

Pointing tasks with a mouse are very useful in psychological experiments concerned with a subject’s ability to track a visual object or to move to a target location (e.g., to find a word in text). Such tasks are quite easily performed by subjects, and numerous variables may be obtained from the mouse movement. In this article we describe a set of Turbo Pascal 6.0 units and a program running on the IBM PC family that show how data (x,y coordinates) recorded from a mouse movement can be analyzed to give dispersion, direction, and distance of the movement.     

Identification of sequential dependencies in conversations: A Pascal program

A Pascal program that provides an analysis of the sequential dependencies between conversational events (e.g., speech acts) generated by two sources is described It produces z scores, chirsquare values, and confidence limits for the difference between estimated unconditional probabilities of the occurrence of selected events (valid events) and estimated conditional probabilities of these events following specified target events immediately (at Lag 1) and, if required, more distantly (at Lags 2, 3, etc.). Valid events and target events may be independently selected from the set of events generated by the first source, the second source, or both. Events not selected are ignored. The user may also elect to exclude the target event from the set of valid events (an adjustment for autocorrelation). The program is especially appropriate for conversational events because it does not assume that two events from the same category can never follow one another.     

A family of association coefficients for metric scales

Four types of metric scales are distinguished: the absolute scale, the ratio scale, the difference scale and the interval scale. A general coefficient of association for two variables of the same metric scale type is developed. Some properties of this general coefficient are discussed. It is shown that the matrix containing these coefficients between any number of variables is Gramian. The general coefficient reduces to specific coefficients of association for each of the four metric scales. Two of these coefficients are well known, the product-moment correlation and Tucker's congruence coefficient. Applications of the new coefficients are discussed.     

ESI: Easy software interfacing tools for Turbo Pascal programming of digital input-output devices

We describe some programming tools for real-time monitoring and control of digital laboratory devices. These create several interrupt-driven processes that operate in the “background” of the user’s program. An event buffer logs switch closures, thus helping the user’s program keep up with events. Other simple commands (e.g., TurnOn) take a line number and a time argument as parameters; they are automatically executed at the time specified. Applications to operant conditioning are discussed.     

A family of chance-corrected association coefficients for metric scales

A chance-corrected version of the family of association coefficients for metric scales proposed by Zegers and ten Berge is presented. It is shown that a matrix with chance-corrected coefficients between a number of variables is Gramian. The members of the chance-corrected family are shown to be partially ordered. The author is obliged to Jos ten Berge for helpful comments.     

On the computation of zero-order correlation coefficients

There appears to be a gap in published computational techniques inasmuch as nowhere in the literature nor in textbooks can one find a model to be followed in computing the numerous zero-order correlation coefficients for a correlation matrix. The purpose of this paper is to present, by means of an illustration, such a model. The model consists of two computational matrices, matrix one being the Summation Matrix and matrix two the Computational Matrix. The entries on these matrices are arranged so as to facilitate the future computations.     

Note on the computation of product-moment correlation coefficients

This paper describes a systematic plan for computing all of the product-moment correlation coefficients among a number of variables that has been taught by Professor Toops for many years. It offers several advantages over a scheme presented by Kossack in a recent issue of this journal.     

Multidimensional signal detection analyses (MSDA) for testing separability and independence: A Pascal program

A Pascal (Turbo 6.0) program for testing perceptual separability, decisional separability, and perceptual independence—three types of independence defined in the context of general recognition theory (GRT)—is presented. GRT is essentially a multidimensional extension of signal detectability theory (Green & Swets, 1966) and has been employed in complete-identification experimental paradigms to examine whether information processing of stimulus dimensions is perceptually and/or decisionally separable and/or perceptually independent. The definitions of these different forms of “independence” are provided, the experimental design is described, and the program, MSDA, is described and demonstrated.