Ultrahigh temporal resolution of visual presentation using gaming monitors and G-Sync

Poth, Christian H.; Foerster, Rebecca M.; Behler, Christian; Schwanecke, Ulrich; Schneider, Werner X.; Botsch, Mario

doi:10.3758/s13428-017-1003-6

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(82 reference statements)

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“…Moreover, other devices have been devoted to collect both triggers and responses from response pads and other devices, while keeping each in sync with the others ( [7] , [25] , 26 , 32] ; see also Trigger Station by BrainTrends Ltd.). To check the timing of visual stimulus presentation, several laboratories have developed in-house routines to monitor accurate timing in exposure time; these rely on instruments (e.g., oscilloscopes, digital amplifiers; e.g., [19] ) that are specific to each lab. Here instead, we present VISTO, a simple but general tool that can be built based on the open source, low cost, and widely available Arduino programming board [6] , and few electronic parts.…”

Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

VISTO: An open-source device to measure exposure time in psychological experiments

2021

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The study of higher cognitive processes often relies on the manipulation of bottom-up stimulus characteristics such as exposure time. While several software exist that can schedule the onset and offset time of a visual stimulus, the actual exposure time depends on several factors that are not easy to control, resulting in undesired variability within and across studies. Here we present VISTO, a simple device built on the Arduino platform that allows one to measure the exact onset and offset of a visual stimulus, and to test its synchronization with a trigger signal. The device is used to measure the profile of luminance waveforms in arbitrary analog/digital (AD) units, and the implications of these luminance profiles are discussed based on a model of information accumulation from visual exposure. Moreover, VISTO can be calibrated to match the brightness of each experimental monitor. VISTO allows for control of stimulus timing presentation, both in classical laboratory settings and in more complex settings as technology allows to use new display devices or acquisition equipment. In sum, VISTO allows one to: measure the profile of luminance curves. determine the exposure time of a visual stimulus. measure the synchronization between a trigger signal and a visual stimulus.

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Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

VISTO: An open-source device to measure exposure time in psychological experiments

2021

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“…It is important to note, however, that these between-subjects differences do not conflict with the findings of interest, namely the within-subjects effects of valid versus neutral retro-cues. Indeed, the between-subjects differences in temporal threshold and processing speed are not surprising, because the two parameters have previously been shown to be subject of considerable interindividual variation (see, for example, the individual model curves in Poth and Schneider 2018 and Poth et al 2018 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prioritization in visual working memory enhances memory retention and speeds up processing in a comparison task

Poth

2020

Cogn Process

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Visual working memory retains visual information for controlling behavior. We studied how information in visual working memory is prioritized for being used. In two experiments, participants memorized the stimuli of a memory display for a brief interval, followed by a retro-cue. The retro-cue was either valid, indicating which stimulus from the memory display was relevant (i.e., had priority) in the upcoming comparison with a probe, or was neutral (uninformative). Next, the probe was presented, terminated by a mask, and participants reported whether it matched a stimulus from the memory display. The presentation duration of the probe was varied. Assessing performance as a function of presentation duration allowed to disentangle two components of working memory: memory retention and the speed of processing the probe for the memorybased comparison. Compared with neutral retro-cues, valid retro-cues improved retention and at the same time accelerated processing of the probe. These findings show for the first time that prioritization in working memory impacts on distinct mechanisms: retrospectively, it supports memory retention, and prospectively, it enhances perceptual processing in upcoming comparison tasks.

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“…In Experiments 4 A and B, the accuracy and precision of complex visual stimuli in VR developed in Python environments were evaluated with the method used in Experiment 1. Previous studies have shown that the gray-to-gray transitions of LCD have a different temporal resolution due to their slower rise and fall time of luminance change than black-to-white transitions (Poth et al, 2018). Thus, in Experiment 4A, gray-to-gray screen transition tests in which the screen changes from a gray level to a different gray level were conducted to measure the effects of gray-to-gray changes on visual stimulus presentation in VR HMDs.…”

Section: Time Lag Between Auditory and Visual Stimulimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Experiments 4A and 6A, we measured the accuracy and precision using only 10-90% gray-to-gray transitions, which are general gray levels for the test (Boher et al, 2007;Liang & Badano, 2006). A previous study has shown that other gray-level transitions such as 30-70% levels have a different temporal resolution for the presentation of visual stimuli on Gaming LCD (Poth et al, 2018). Due to the specific limitation of sensor threshold on BBTK, the luminance changes between 30% and 70% on VR HMDs could not be measured as precisely.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accuracy and precision of visual and auditory stimulus presentation in virtual reality in Python 2 and 3 environments for human behavior research

Tachibana

Matsumiya

2021

Behav Res

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Virtual reality (VR) is a new methodology for behavioral studies. In such studies, the millisecond accuracy and precision of stimulus presentation are critical for data replicability. Recently, Python, which is a widely used programming language for scientific research, has contributed to reliable accuracy and precision in experimental control. However, little is known about whether modern VR environments have millisecond accuracy and precision for stimulus presentation, since most standard methods in laboratory studies are not optimized for VR environments. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the accuracy and precision of visual and auditory stimuli generated in modern VR head-mounted displays (HMDs) from HTC and Oculus using Python 2 and 3. We used the newest Python tools for VR and Black Box Toolkit to measure the actual time lag and jitter. The results showed that there was an 18-ms time lag for visual stimulus in both HMDs. For the auditory stimulus, the time lag varied between 40 and 60 ms, depending on the HMD. The jitters of those time lags were 1 ms for visual stimulus and 4 ms for auditory stimulus, which are sufficiently low for general experiments. These time lags were robustly equal, even when auditory and visual stimuli were presented simultaneously. Interestingly, all results were perfectly consistent in both Python 2 and 3 environments. Thus, the present study will help establish a more reliable stimulus control for psychological and neuroscientific research controlled by Python environments.

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Ultrahigh temporal resolution of visual presentation using gaming monitors and G-Sync

Cited by 19 publications

References 38 publications

VISTO: An open-source device to measure exposure time in psychological experiments

VISTO: An open-source device to measure exposure time in psychological experiments

Prioritization in visual working memory enhances memory retention and speeds up processing in a comparison task

Accuracy and precision of visual and auditory stimulus presentation in virtual reality in Python 2 and 3 environments for human behavior research

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