DirectRT v2008 (from Empirisoft)

Click for details of DirectIN keyboards and response boxes for use with DirectRT.

DirectRTediaLab is designed for cognitive and perception tasks that require millisecond precision. You can quickly create reaction time tasks that require precision timing, presenting sound, video, images and text with precision.and obtaining accurate high speed response input from keyboards, mice, joysticks, microphones and external hardware. DirectRT comes with extensive on-line help files and a manual, and an on-line tutorial with over 40 samples that illustrate simple and advanced techniques.

General features and response times

• Timing resolution of 1 millisecond; response timing synchronized with the screen display
• Uses Microsoft’s DirectX to gain the fastest access possible to input events from the keyboard, mouse, joystick and soundcard
• Collect multiple response times on a single trial; key release response times in addition to key press times
• Define valid keys for any response; define 'correct' key for any response.
• Optionally require a correct response

Input options

• Keyboard, mouse and joystick input for single keypress or button responses
• Short open ended (fill-in-the-blank) responses
• Voice responses via microphone connected to your soundcard; option of saving voice responses
• Continuous joystick motion.
• TTL signals can be read from a defined port

Stimulus presentation

• Create as many different displays as you need for any given trial
• Create scale responses and multiple choice questions in any format
• Multiple simultaneous and/or sequential sound files, with control over left/right panning and frequency (Hz). Synchronized with visual stimuli.
• Send precisely synchronized TTL signals to communicate with external equipment
• Present subject's own responses to open ended questions as stimuli in same session
• Create multiple style settings with choices of fonts and display colors
• Present multiple images and/or text in succession or simultaneously; superimpose custom graphics over any other image or text
• Capture screens from Microsoft PowerPoint as stimulus or instruction screens
• Precisely locate images and text
• Enter stimulus presentation times in milliseconds. DirectRT will determine the screen refresh rate and will present the stimulus for the number of screen refreshes that will comes closest to your specified interval. All actual display times are written to a log file for each session

Randomization and trial structure

• Flexible randomization at multiple levels
• Extremely flexible trial design which can change from one trial to the next
• Define stimuli directly in the input file or refer to stimulus lists
• Access stimuli from lists sequentially, randomly, or randomly without replacement
• Create scale responses and multiple choice questions in any format
• Skip pattern capability when a particular key is pressed on any trial
• Jump capability - depending on which key is pressed, DirectRT jumps to different events (such as a feedback sequence) and then resumes where it left off
• Self-paced or time-limited responses
• Repeat trials for which stimuli were randomly selected at run-time

Data features

• Write data to an ASCII file.; add optional variables to the data file that identify within subject trial conditions
• Importe data straight into Excel or SPSS
• Merge data files collected on different computers
• Produces two data files per run: one is simplified and easy to use for most purposes and a more detailed ‘log’ version records everything including actual stimulus presentation times

Other Features

• Easily modify and re-use your input files experiments
• Edit from your favourite spreadsheet application
• Runs easily from a command line prompt so you can call the session and execute it seamlessly from your within own programs
• Context sensitive help

For further details, see DirectRT website

Hardware and software requirements

It is strongly recommended that systems running DirectRT have at least 128mb of memory, a graphics card with at least 8mb of video memory and a processor speed of at least 500mhz. The log files that DirectRT produces will show you whether or not any computer in question can handle your experimental design.

DirectRT requires that Microsoft’s DirectX Version 7 or later be installed (Windows ME, 2000, or XP you will already have DirectX Version 7 or later installed). Windows NT4 Does not support DirectX.

Finally, it is also necessary to have a spreadsheet application installed (e.g., Excel) if you plan to edit or view the DirectRT input and output files on that machine-or if you plan to try the DirectRT on-line tutorials. All input and output files are created and saved in .CSV format which is editable from any standard spreadsheet application.

Price information and ordering details