Sample scripts

DoTake the one-key demo on the conductcognition.com home page: press Space or tap when the circle appears.

SayPress as fast as you can when the circle appears. One key, every time.

DoNow run the Choice Reaction Time test: the circle appears on the left or the right, and you press that arrow key.

SayNow the circle shows up on the left or the right, and I press the arrow on that side.

DoShow both times and say why choosing is slower.

SayOne key took me [median response time]. Choosing took [Average reaction time]. Choosing is slower, and every extra choice adds time. Try it at conductcognition.com.

DoAsk viewers which way the middle arrow points.

SayWhich way does the middle arrow point? Only the middle one.

DoRun trials where the outer arrows agree, then trials where they disagree.

SayWhen all the arrows agree, it's easy. When the outer ones point the other way, I'm [Flanker Effect] milliseconds slower.

DoSay why the trials that disagree are slower.

SayYou can't fully ignore the arrows around it, so they pull you the wrong way. That's the flanker effect. Try it at conductcognition.com.

DoShow the blocks light up one at a time.

SayWatch the blocks light up, then tap them back in the same order.

DoTap them back in order, one more block each round.

SayGet one right, and the next round adds a block.

DoSay how long a sequence you reached and what that measures.

SayMy span was [Forward Span] blocks, a measure of visual and spatial working memory. How far can you get? Try it at conductcognition.com.

DoAsk viewers: word or not a word?

SayWord, or not a word? Decide as fast as you can.

DoRun a few fast trials with real words and made-up ones.

SaySome are real words, and some are made up. My average was [Average response time].

DoSay what the response times tell researchers.

SayResearchers time these choices to study how we recognize words. Common words get faster answers than rare ones. Try it at conductcognition.com.

DoOpen on one color word printed in a different ink, and ask viewers to say the ink color.

SayQuick. Say the color of the ink, not the word. Harder than it looks, right?

DoRun a few trials on screen, some where the word and ink match and some where they do not.

SayThis is the Stroop test. When the word matches its ink, it's easy. When it names a different color, I slow down.

DoExplain why the mismatched words are slower: reading is automatic, so the word gets in the way of the color.

SayThat slowdown is the Stroop effect. Mine was [Stroop Effect] milliseconds. Reading is so automatic that the word gets in the way of naming the ink. Stroop described it in 1935, and researchers still use the test to study attention.

DoShow the test's page on conductcognition.com.

SayTry it yourself at conductcognition.com.

DoAsk viewers to watch for a letter that matches the one two steps back.

SayWatch the letters. Press when a letter matches the one two back. Ready?

DoRun the test and show one match and one miss.

SayThis is the n-back task. There's a match: same letter as two back. And there's one I missed.

DoExplain why the task gets harder as n goes up, and what the score means.

SayYou have to keep updating the last few letters in your head. That's working memory. Two back is harder than one back, and most people miss more. I caught [Hit Rate] of the matches.

DoShow the test's page on conductcognition.com.

SayTry it yourself at conductcognition.com.

DoShow the rule: press the spacebar for a green circle, and nothing for a red one.

SayOne rule. Press for green. Don't press for red.

DoKeep going until you press on a red one.

SayIt starts easy. But most circles are green, so pressing becomes a habit. And there it is. I pressed on a red one.

DoExplain what a press on a no-go trial tells a researcher.

SayResearchers call a press on red a commission error. Counting them shows how well someone holds back a response. I held back on [No-Go accuracy] of the red circles.

DoShow the test's page on conductcognition.com.

SayTry it yourself at conductcognition.com.

DoShow a fast press for the arrow, then a trial where the arrow turns red.

SayPress the way the arrow points, fast. But if it turns red, don't press.

DoRun the test and show one stop that works and one that comes too late.

SayThat one I stopped. That one I didn't. The red came too late, and my finger was already moving.

DoExplain that the red comes later after a good stop and sooner after a miss, and how that times stopping.

SayAfter I stop in time, the next red comes a little later. After I miss, it comes sooner. So the test keeps you stopping about half the time. From there, researchers estimate how long it takes to cancel a press that has already started. That's the stop-signal reaction time.

DoShow the test's page on conductcognition.com.

SayTry it yourself at conductcognition.com.

DoShow a list of related words, one at a time.

SayTry to remember these words.

DoAsk about the word the list was built around, such as bird. It was never shown.

SayNow, was the word [bird] on the list?

DoExplain why so many people say yes.

SayIt wasn't. But many people are sure they saw it. Every word on the list is linked to it, so it comes to mind again and again while you read. Later, it's hard to tell a word you thought of from a word you saw. That's a false memory, and this task is a classic way to study it.

DoShow the test's page on conductcognition.com.

SayTry it yourself at conductcognition.com.

DoAsk viewers how many of 10 points they would give a stranger who has no say.

SaySplit 10 points with a stranger who has no say. How many do you give?

DoPlay one round on screen.

SayHere's my round. I gave [how many points you gave].

DoExplain why many people give some away when they could keep it all.

SayThis is the dictator game. If people cared only about themselves, everyone would keep it all. But in studies with real money, many people still give part of it away. Researchers use the game to study fairness and generosity.

DoShow the test's page on conductcognition.com.

SayTry it yourself at conductcognition.com.

DoSay in one sentence what the study is for.

SayI want to find out [your question], so I'm running the study online.

DoChoose a test and set up the study.

SayFirst I pick a test. I'm using [the test you chose], because it measures [what it measures]. Then I set up the study.

DoCopy the participant link and take the test yourself, as a participant would.

SayEach participant gets their own link. I'll take the test myself, so you can see what a participant sees.

DoShow the scored result.

SayWhen someone finishes, their score comes back to me. Here's mine: [one score from your results screen].

DoSay what you would study with it.

SayI'd use it for [your study]. Set up your own at conductcognition.com.

DoSay who you are and what you study or teach.

SayI'm [your name], and I [study or teach] [your field].

DoShow the test you use, on sample data.

SayThis is [the test], the one I use most. Here it is with sample data. Participants [what they do in it].

DoSay what it helps you answer, or what your students learn from it.

SayIt helps me [what it helps you answer, or what your students learn].

DoShow the test's page on conductcognition.com.

SayYou can try the same test at conductcognition.com.