Spatial Cueing (Posner) Task

Attention Duration: ~8 minutes
Spatial Cueing (Posner) Task screenshot

Description

A classic spatial cueing paradigm (Posner's cueing task) measuring attentional orienting via valid, invalid, and neutral cues.

Measures: Attentional orienting, cueing benefit/cost, simple reaction time

Attention

About This Test

A fixation cross appears with a directional arrow cue (left, right, or both). After a variable delay, a target X appears to the left or right. Participants respond as quickly as possible when the target appears. The arrow cue is valid (correctly predicts target location) on most trials, creating a cueing benefit for valid trials and a cost for invalid trials.

Test Details

Test ID:
spatialcueing
Main File:
spatialcueing.pbl
Parameters:
6 configurable parameters
6 configurable parameters available
Languages:
German English Spanish French Italian Dutch Portuguese

🚀 Try Without Registration

Run this test immediately without creating an account. Data stays in your browser.

Scientific Background

Original Task References:

These references describe the original task that this PEBL implementation is based on.

  • Posner, M. I. (1980). Orienting of attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32, 3-25.
  • Posner, M. I., Snyder, C. R. R., & Davidson, B. J. (1980). Attention and the detection of signals. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 109, 160-174.

PEBL-Specific References:

These studies used the PEBL version of this task.

  • Mueller, S. T. (2011). The PEBL Spatial Cueing Task. Computer software retrieved from http://pebl.sf.net/battery.html

Data Output

The task produces a trial-by-trial CSV and a text report with RT statistics broken down by validity condition, stimulus location, and cue direction.

Output File:
spatialcueing-{subnum}.csv
Format:
CSV

About This Test

A classic spatial cueing paradigm (Posner's cueing task) measuring attentional orienting via valid, invalid, and neutral cues.

Category: Attention
Estimated Duration: 8 minutes
Available Translations: 7 languages

Documentation Status: Complete