A tachistoscopic software system for use in remote timesharing applications

A program is described that permits the use of an Imlac PDS-1 display computer, in conjunction with a host timeshare system, as a software-controlled tachistoscope. Alphanumeric and graphic message strings are received from the host computer over a telephone line, and are then displayed for specified periods of time in sequence. The display computer records the S’s responses and reaction time and reports this information back to the host computer for recording and analysis. The system is designed so that the burden of software development for the realization of a specific experimental plan is shifted to the large-capacity host machine, and it can utilize all of the features of standard FORTRAN as implemented on the host computer system.     

An economical system for collecting and reducing heart-rate data,using someone else’s small computer

Hardware and program are described for a heart-rate data collection and reduction system that uses a small computer at a time removed from the actual data collection. The system is portable and inexpensive; exclusive of the computer, it can cost under $1,500. It uses an ordinary tape recorder to record discrete signals upon each occurrence of a heart beat, and it returns edited second-by-second averages of interheart-beat intervals.     

APCOL: A programming system for computer-controlled psychology laboratories

The development of on-line computer systems can be facilitated by higher-level programming languages that are more powerful and easier to learn than machine-level Assembly languages. In general, it is not possible to speak ofa programming language without also describing the operating system and functional problem domain of the small computer system for which it is intended. This is because of the great variety in the architecture and configuration of small computers. However, it is possible to state more general requirements and design criteria for on-line computer languages in psychology. APCOL is an example of an integrated programming system. One of the important distinguishing features of the system is that it is implemented both on the small-scale laboratory computer and on a large general-purpose computer linked to the smaller machine via a high-speed communications network. This arrangement permits firsthand access to interactive program construction with immediate test of program function by using the on-line implementation as well as access to the text-editing and mass storage facilities of the large-scale machine.     

A microprocessor control system and solid state interface for controlling electrophysiological studies of conditioning

This paper describes a microprocessor control system and solid state interface for controlling the apparatus in combined behavioral-electrophysiological studies of conditioning. The computer program, which is designed to control classical conditioning of the rabbit’s nictitating membrane response, provides the flexibility to control all conditioning parameters (e.g., interstimulus and intertrial intervals, trial type, and sequence of trial types) with only minor modifications. The system is free from artifacts that can distort electrophysiological recordings and can easily be modified to accommodate other behavioral paradigms in which electrophysiological responses are recorded.     

RTbox: A device for highly accurate response time measurements

Although computer keyboards and mice are frequently used in measuring response times (RTs), the accuracy of these measurements is quite low. Specialized RT collection devices must be used to obtain more accurate measurements. However, all the existing devices have some shortcomings. We have developed and implemented a new, commercially available device, the RTbox, for highly accurate RT measurements. The RTbox has its own microprocessor and high-resolution clock. It can record the identities and timing of button events with high accuracy, unaffected by potential timing uncertainty or biases during data transmission and processing in the host computer. It stores button events until the host computer chooses to retrieve them. The asynchronous storage greatly simplifies the design of user programs. The RTbox can also receive and record external signals as triggers and can measure RTs with respect to external events. The internal clock of the RTbox can be synchronized with the computer clock, so the device can be used without external triggers. A simple USB connection is sufficient to integrate the RTbox with any standard computer and operating system.     

Collecting and analyzing on-line protocols from novice programmers

Methodology for collecting and analyzing on-line protocols from novice programmers is described. On-line protocols are copies of all syntactically correct programs that students have written using an interactive computer system. Since the number of on-line protocols collected is quite large, we have developed a computer program, called the Bug Finder, which can auto-matically identify semantic and pragmatic bugs in subjects’ programs. In this paper, we describe the theory upon which the Bug Finder is built and provide an example of the Bug Finder in operation.     

A device for the computer processed analysis of video frames

This article briefly describes a system of analyzing movement sequences extracted from video images. The system uses an IBM-PC or compatible computer, equipped with a CGA screen and a mouse, and a videotape recorder and monitor. The coordinates of the points selected from the images with the mouse are stored in an ASCII-format file by a computer program. The principle behind this system is that it projects video images on a computer screen through a one-way mirror while avoiding parallax effects.     

Long-term value change initiated by computer feedback.

To determine whether value change can be induced by a computer rather than a human agent and whether value change can be induced even when target values are not preselected for experimental treatment, subjects first filled out the Rokeach Value Survey and then obtained information from a computer enabling them to compare their own value rankings with those previously obtained for various reference groups. Experimental subjects exposed to computer feedback showed, first, significant changes in value systems 2 months afterward whereas control subjects showed no such changes. Second, value system change was significantly greater among those experimental subjects whose value rankings were on the whole more discrepant from those of positive reference groups. Third, rankings of certain values concerning achievement, peace, and egalitarianism were affected in a 2-month period following the treatment. These findings are interpreted within a broader theoretical framework about the conditions leading to long-term cognitive and behavioral change.     

Psychodiagnosis in hypothetical problem spaces

Computer uses are demonstrated for designing a hypothetical psychodiagnostic system that can function in artificially created mental health environments. The idea is to simulate both a psychodiagnostic system and a clinician’s strategies in order to learn about computer as well as human information processing. An inductive method for teaching humans the elements of the diagnostic system and its solutions is also introduced.     

A programming system for doing asynchronous I/O on an 8K PDP-12

A programming system is described for the PDP-12 computer system. The system handles input-output requests from user-written routines.     

Action unit classification using active appearance models and conditional random fields

In this paper, we investigate to what extent modern computer vision and machine learning techniques can assist social psychology research by automatically recognizing facial expressions. To this end, we develop a system that automatically recognizes the action units defined in the facial action coding system (FACS). The system uses a sophisticated deformable template, which is known as the active appearance model, to model the appearance of faces. The model is used to identify the location of facial feature points, as well as to extract features from the face that are indicative of the action unit states. The detection of the presence of action units is performed by a time series classification model, the linear-chain conditional random field. We evaluate the performance of our system in experiments on a large data set of videos with posed and natural facial expressions. In the experiments, we compare the action units detected by our approach with annotations made by human FACS annotators. Our results show that the agreement between the system and human FACS annotators is higher than 90% and underlines the potential of modern computer vision and machine learning techniques to social psychology research. We conclude with some suggestions on how systems like ours can play an important role in research on social signals.     

Controlling experiments with a general-purpose time-sharing system

For many experiments in the behavioral and biomedical sciences, there is no substitute for an experimental-control computer with true real-time capabilities. However, if an experimenter can tolerate timing errors of several seconds, then he can reap the benefits of computer control by buying time on a general-purpose time-sharing system. There can be little doubt that a self-contained computer-controlled laboratory will be more economical if a fair number of experiments are contemplated. But when only a few experiments are planned, the researcher may find that he can run them with a general-purpose time-sharing system at only a fraction of the cost of establishing a     

Action unit classification using active appearance models and conditional random fields

In this paper, we investigate to what extent modern computer vision and machine learning techniques can assist social psychology research by automatically recognizing facial expressions. To this end, we develop a system that automatically recognizes the action units defined in the facial action coding system (FACS). The system uses a sophisticated deformable template, which is known as the active appearance model, to model the appearance of faces. The model is used to identify the location of facial feature points, as well as to extract features from the face that are indicative of the action unit states. The detection of the presence of action units is performed by a time series classification model, the linear-chain conditional random field. We evaluate the performance of our system in experiments on a large data set of videos with posed and natural facial expressions. In the experiments, we compare the action units detected by our approach with annotations made by human FACS annotators. Our results show that the agreement between the system and human FACS annotators is higher than 90% and underlines the potential of modern computer vision and machine learning techniques to social psychology research. We conclude with some suggestions on how systems like ours can play an important role in research on social signals.     

有性Penna模型:进化心理学的新工具

进化心理学家以进化论为基础,使用了许多不同的方法来研究人类的心灵。这些方法都有共同的缺陷,即无法直接对提出的假设进行验证,对复杂的系统进行研究难度很大,计算机模拟的方法可在一定程度上修补该问题。有性Penna模型能反映有性生殖种群的进化特点,能反映环境对生物进化的影响,通过该模型来模拟人类进化历程,则可以检验某一心理机制是否是适应的,它是研究生物进化的有力工具。本文在综述已有研究成果的基础上提出用有性Penna模型对进化心理学关于进化轨迹的假设进行验证的构想,并在此基础之上提出了用该模型进行研究的基本框架。     

A computer-controlled language training system for investigating the language skills of young apes

A computer-controlled language training system was designed and constructed to enhance the objectivity and efficiency of inquiry into the language-relevant behaviors of apes. The system allows the S to gain control over the events of the 24-h day in direct correspondence with its competence in using a keyboard on which each key represents a word. Various incentives can be obtained through the selection and depression of appropriate keys in accordance with rules of sentence structure monitored by a computer. The system is flexible and allows for eventual conversation between man and ape, with the computer as the intermediary. A Teletype records all that transpires. Achievements of the chimpanzee S over the course of the first 8 months of the system’s operation attest to the worth of the system and training methods.     

A 6809 single-board computer system for the control of behavioral experiments

A computer system consisting of a 6809 single-board computer in conjunction with an IBM-compatible Personal Computer (PC) is described for the control of behavioral experiments. The single-board computer uses the C programming language to program experimental events. Each component of the system (the single-board computer, a digital interface, the PC, and the software) is outlined with its capabilities and drawbacks noted.     

循环系统的数学模型及仿真实验

循环系统建立数学模型与计算机仿真是一种新型研究方法。它将有关循环系统的生理和物理学知识整合起来 ,构成数学模型 ,然后进行计算机仿真研究。这种方法已应用于研究循环系统的生理及病理机制、疾病治疗手段和超常环境下循环障碍及其防护措施     

Minicomputer controller for a behavioral primate laboratory

To keep pace with the increased animal carrying load and research productivity of our facilities by perpetual modification of and additions to rigid hardwired equipment would have been a costly and time-consuming enterprise. Thus, a computer controller for the laboratory was an inevitable choice to replace our highly individualized analog and digital units. Our system is based on a minimally configured PDP-8/e, devoid of peripherals except for a Teletype, in which the first phase was guided by the intent to replace separate component instrumentation with a unified digital computer system. The interface design was confined to five different printed circuit boards which in combination could handle computer I/O, switch contact inputs, analog threshold inputs, and medium current output control. Our software package can be divided functionally into three parts: the program interrupt handler, the background control programs, and the resident subroutines.