Move-to-Target Task (Whack-a-Mole)
Description
Rapid pointing task measuring visuomotor coordination and sensorimotor adaptation with axis reversal (default configuration)
About This Test
The PEBL Move-to-Target Task (also known as 'Whack-a-Mole') assesses discrete visuomotor control by requiring participants to rapidly move their cursor to and click on targets that appear at different screen locations. **Task Structure**: On each trial, a circular target appears at a random location on the screen. Participants must move their mouse cursor to the target and click on it as quickly and accurately as possible. Immediately after clicking, a new target appears at a different location. The default configuration includes 30 stimuli per trial across 10 trials (300 total target clicks). **Adaptation Manipulation**: By default, this task includes both horizontal and vertical axis reversal (xtrans=1, ytrans=-1), creating a challenging sensorimotor perturbation where moving the mouse right causes the cursor to move left, and moving down causes the cursor to move up. This tests participants' ability to adapt to novel visuomotor transformations through repeated rapid pointing movements. The axis reversal parameters can be modified to test normal mapping or single-axis reversals. **Trial Structure**: The task runs multiple trials (default 10), allowing observation of sensorimotor adaptation across repeated exposure to the reversed mapping. Each trial consists of multiple rapid pointing movements (default 30 per trial). **Related Task**: For continuous tracking movements with similar axis reversal manipulations, see the Tracking Task. The two tasks complement each other by assessing discrete vs. continuous visuomotor control under perturbation. **Administration Time**: 5-10 minutes depending on number of trials and participant speed **Theoretical Basis**: Discrete pointing tasks like move-to-target assess the rapid planning and execution of goal-directed movements. Axis reversal creates a visuomotor perturbation requiring sensorimotor recalibration through error-based learning. Performance improvements during reversed trials demonstrate adaptive learning mechanisms. **Use Cases**: Visuomotor adaptation research, sensorimotor learning studies, reaction time assessment, motor control evaluation, pointing accuracy measurement, neurological screening.
Test Details
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Scientific Background
Original Task References:
These references describe the original task that this PEBL implementation is based on.
- Fitts, P. M. (1954). The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 47(6), 381-391.
- Krakauer, J. W., Pine, Z. M., Ghilardi, M. F., & Ghez, C. (2000). Learning of visuomotor transformations for vectorial planning of reaching trajectories. Journal of Neuroscience, 20(23), 8916-8924.
- Cunningham, H. A., & Welch, R. B. (1994). Multiple concurrent visual-motor mappings: Implications for models of adaptation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 20(5), 987.
Data Output
movetotarget-summary-{subnum}.csv
Data Columns
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| subnum | Participant ID |
| block | Block number (typically used when flipx/flipy change across blocks) |
| flipx | Whether horizontal axis was reversed this block (0=normal, 1=reversed) |
| flipy | Whether vertical axis was reversed this block (0=normal, 1=reversed) |
| mean_rt | Mean reaction time in milliseconds (time from target appearance to first movement) |
| median_rt | Median reaction time in milliseconds |
| sd_rt | Standard deviation of reaction times |
| mean_movement_time | Mean movement time in milliseconds (time from first movement to click) |
| mean_distance | Mean distance traveled by cursor in pixels (path length, not direct distance) |
| mean_accuracy | Proportion of successful target hits (clicks within target boundary) |
| trials_completed | Number of trials completed in this block |
Scoring and Interpretation
Example Data
example-data-summary.csv Summary
Summary data with block-level performance metrics
| subnum | trial | step | startx | starty | xtrans | ytrans | label | targx | targy | dist | timeout | hit | rt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| example | 0 | 1 | 895 | 261 | 1 | 1 | normal | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 1 | 1937 |
| example | 0 | 2 | 1124 | 722 | 1 | 1 | normal | 932 | 493 | 298.839 | 2000 | 1 | 1017 |
| example | 0 | 3 | 942 | 498 | 1 | 1 | normal | 665 | 356 | 311.276 | 2000 | 1 | 1163 |
| example | 0 | 4 | 666 | 372 | 1 | 1 | normal | 684 | 656 | 284.57 | 2000 | 1 | 996 |
| example | 0 | 5 | 692 | 669 | 1 | 1 | normal | 703 | 357 | 312.194 | 2000 | 1 | 784 |
| example | 0 | 6 | 710 | 374 | 1 | 1 | normal | 880 | 599 | 282.002 | 2000 | 1 | 966 |
| example | 0 | 7 | 870 | 600 | 1 | 1 | normal | 787 | 884 | 295.88 | 2000 | 1 | 1071 |
| example | 0 | 8 | 785 | 878 | 1 | 1 | normal | 978 | 653 | 296.435 | 2000 | 1 | 936 |
| example | 0 | 9 | 984 | 647 | 1 | 1 | normal | 1184 | 435 | 291.452 | 2000 | 1 | 585 |
example-data-pts.csv
High-frequency point-by-point movement data (~2.3 MB per subject)
| subnum | trial | step | xtrans | ytrans | label | startx | starty | time | xpos | ypos | step | targx | targy | dist | timeout | hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11222 | 895 | 261 | 1 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11233 | 895 | 261 | 2 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11244 | 895 | 261 | 3 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11255 | 895 | 261 | 4 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11266 | 895 | 261 | 5 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11277 | 895 | 261 | 6 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11288 | 895 | 261 | 7 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11299 | 895 | 261 | 8 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
| example | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | normal | 895 | 261 | 11310 | 895 | 261 | 9 | 1139 | 710 | 511.016 | 2000 | 0 |
View full file (30845 rows) →
Sample data showing typical output format. Actual values will vary by participant.
About This Test
Rapid pointing task measuring visuomotor coordination and sensorimotor adaptation with axis reversal (default configuration)
Category: Motor
Estimated Duration: 9 minutes
Available Translations: 7 languages
Documentation Sources:
Test implementation, Parameter schema
Documentation Status: Complete