The N-Back Task Lab
Download the N-Back Task
1. Navigate to [Link]
2. Click on the link labelled ‘Library of Experiments’ (in the sidebar).
3. Follow the link at the top of the page that begin with ‘Click here…’.
4. Find/click on the relevant link in the list for the N-Back Task.
5. Download the code using the link near the bottom of the page.
Modify/Run the N-Back Task
1. Navigate to [Link]
2. Click on the ‘Web based / login’ link (in the left sidebar).
3. Click on the link that begins with ‘Click here to enter…’
4. Choose the American server (in the left sidebar).
5. Log in to the account that you created for the rst lab.
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6. Click on the ‘Create New Experiment’ link and then the ‘Choose File’ button to select the
n-back task le that you downloaded in a previous step.
7. Find the line of code that speci es the number of trials and change this value (from 25) to
50 (for all three blocks) and then click the save button.
8. If you collected three blocks worth of data with the default settings (25 trials per block)
before reading these instructions, you can simply run another three blocks of 25 to produce
an equivalent amount of data.
9. Note that, if you want to, you can also nd all the instances in the code that display (in plain
English) the number of trials to the user and update that accordingly. This is not necessary
for our purposes though. However, remember that you are running 50 trials in each block
when you write your report.
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10. Click on the compile button.
11. When you’re ready to run the experiment, click on the run button.
Write and Submit your Lab Report
Write a brief summary of the methods used for the n-back task, which should include:
the hypothesis being tested, what the dependent/independent variables and stimuli are, along
with a basic description of the procedure (the sequences of events on a trial, responses, and
the total number of trials).
In this experiment, there are two kinds of errors one can make: misses (when the stimulus
presented two trials ago matches that on the current trial but you fail to indicate that with your
response) and false alarms (when the stimulus presented two trials ago does not match that
on the current trial but you indicate the opposite with your response). This way of analyzing
results relates to signal detection theory. See the graphic below (courtesy of https://
[Link]/introductiontopsychology/chapter/we-experience-our-world-through-
sensation/)
We could consider the n-back task to be a relatively general paradigm that is well suited for
measuring working memory function in order to test a range of hypotheses. For example, you
could compare performance in a group of older adults with young adults and test the
hypothesis that older adults will ‘false alarm’ more than the young adults. This could happen
even if both groups have equivalent ‘misses’. In that hypothetical example, demonstrating an
equivalent number of misses but more false alarms could suggest that older adults are just as
good at putting things in working memory but worse at managing the contents of that system.
In computer terms, that would be like a situation in which two computers are just as good at
loading data but one is better than the other at ‘deleting’ information that has become
irrelevant. This could speak to the role the central executive plays in managing the contents of
working memory.
All that said, there is no one singular hypothesis that would necessarily be tested using this
paradigm. Feel free to come up with your own hypothesis, which can be as simple as you like,
as long as the data is suitable for testing it. For example, do you think you are someone who is
particularly good at holding things in working memory or updating the contents (which
measure would speak to each of those claims?), do you expect practice e ects (better
performance from one block to the next), interference e ects (worse performance from one
block to the next), etc.
Focussing on the misses (and/or hits, though these may tell you something similar because
they are usually inversely related: if you have a high % of hits you probably have a low % of
misses and vice versa) and false alarms, report the results of the experiment for each block
and brie y comment on whether or not these results support the hypothesis being tested. You
can report these values in percentage or absolute number, whichever you prefer. A graph is not
necessary for this lab. As with the last lab, what could your results tell us about cognitive
processes?
You can submit your lab report on Canvas using the links in the ‘Labs’ module. Please
remember to also submit your data le at the same time. If you saved it after running the
experiment, these data can be downloaded from your [Link] account.
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