An object of type questStaircase is a staircase using the QUEST functionality in Psychtoolbox. It assumes a Weibull psychometric function. In an experiment script you can make a questStaircase object outside trials using function questStaircaseObject and add it using addToExperiment.
Properties below go to inputs of Psychtoolbox QuestCreate as follows:
slope → beta
pCorrectAtFloor → gamma
pBlind → delta
pCorrectAtThreshold → pThreshold
threshold0 → tGuess
thresholdStdDev0 → tGuessSd
range → range
resolution → grain
Default: slope = 3.5
Default: pCorrectAtFloor = 0.5
Default: pBlind = 0.01
Default: pCorrectAtThreshold = 0.82
pCorrectAtFloor is probability of correct response at floor performance (0–1).
pBlind is probability of responding blindly (0–1).
pCorrectAtThreshold is probability of correct response at threshold (0–1).
pc = pb*pc_floor+(1-pb)*(1-(1-pc_floor)*exp(-10.^(s*(x-threshold))))
where
pc = probability of correct response
x = stimulus level
s = slope
pc_floor = pCorrectAtFloor
pb = pBlind
threshold = threshold
Parameter defaults are typical for a two-alternative forced choice task with increasing psychometric function that is logarithmic with respect to physical intensity.
For more information a starting point is Watson & Pelli (1983). QUEST: A Bayesian adaptive psychometric method. Also the MATLAB help text for Psychtoolbox QUEST functions like QuestCreate is very good.
No default: threshold0
Default: thresholdStdDev0 = 3
threshold0 and thresholdStdDev0 are initial guesses for threshold and threshold standard deviation in the QUEST model. These are in staircase value units, same as val and threshold. Generally you should set thresholdStdDev0 liberally—see notes in function help for Psychtoolbox QuestCreate.
Default: valAt = staircase value at quantile of threshold probability distribution
Default: thresholdAt = threshold at mean of threshold probability distribution
<cds>"mean"<cds>
<cds>"quantile"<cds> (optimal quantile as calculated by the QUEST staircase)
<cds>"mode"<cds>
Default: range = 5
Default: resolution = 0.01
Also note range is independent of element property staircase fields min/max. It’s okay for range to be set wider and for the model to suggest a staircase value outside min/max. The staircased element will just test a truncated value within min/max and the staircase will add that value and correct/incorrect result to its data. This will not be what the model optimally wanted to know about but it will still be valid data. (This still applies in the common case that min/max are in different units than range due to staircase field setExpr, e.g. log versus non-log units.)
resolution is step size of the discrete threshold probability distribution (staircase value units).
PsychBench uses record properties to record information during experiments. You can't set record properties but you can see them in experiment results by listing them input property report.
PsychBench © 2017–2023 Giles Holland
Website © 2023 Giles Holland
End user license agreement