Road-Map Test - RMT

Technical Manual

Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond

Created: January 04, 2023

Last Modified: January 19, 2025 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond

Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC

Background

This script implements Millisecond's computerized version of the Money Road Map Test, a test of directional sense in a 2D environment.

Researchers can select to run the task with an absolute screen size to ensure that distances stay the same across devices. The default settings default to proportional sizing See section Defaults for more info.

References

Money. I.. Alexander, D., & Walker, H. T (1965). Manual: A standardized road-map test of direction sense. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.

Elman, I., Gurvits, T. V., Tschibelu, E., Spring, J. D., Lasko, N. B., & Pitman, R. K. (2013). Neurological soft signs in individuals with pathological gambling. PloS One, 8(4), e60885–e60885. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060885

An open-access article with the following copyright note: "This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication."

Duration

5 minutes

Description

Participants are instructed to drive a little blue car on a fixed route through a town. The car automatically stops at each intersection and participants are instructed to choose the appropriate turn signal for the turn the car is about to make. The test provides a short practice with 3 intersections and a test with 32 intersections.

Procedure

1. Intro: By Default The Instructions Are Given Visually And Aurally (Optional)

2. Practice: The Practice Block Is Run Max. 2 Times (Editable Parameters) Before The Test Is Started
It's repeated, if participants are below parameters.minPracticeAcc (default: 1.0)
The practice provides visual and auditory feedback and requires participants to correct
wrong choices. Practice also provides response reminders if no response is detected within a certain time
frame (default: 3000ms)

3. Test:
- 32 intersections
- car stops automatically at each intersection and participants have to choose from a left or right
turn signal (located left and right of the map)
- once selected, the selected turn signal blinks for a couple of times before the car starts moving again
- no feedback is provided

4. Optional Performance Feedback (See Parameters.Performancefeedbacksetting)
The default feedback gives participants the choice whether to get performance feedback or not.
If they choose to see it, the little blue car drives once more through the city and leaves
the letter R and L at each intersection to reflect the response made by the participant.
Red letters indicate that the response was incorrect.
Green letters indicate that the response was correct.
Participants have as much time as they want to check the performance map.

Stimuli

map from: provided by Elman et al (2013)
the script could be adapted to run customized maps as well

Instructions

provided by Millisecond - can be edited in script roadmaptest_instructions_inc.iqjs
The instructions are not original.
Audio instructions are optional and can be turned off. They were created with the help of the
Google Translate Fairy and Audacity.

Summary Data

File Name: roadmaptest_summary*.iqdat

Data Fields

NameDescription
inquisit.version Inquisit version number
computer.platform Device platform: win | mac |ios | android
computer.touch 0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities
computer.hasKeyboard 0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected
startDate Date the session was run
startTime Time the session was run
subjectId Participant ID
groupId Group number
sessionId Session number
elapsedTime Session duration in ms
completed 0 = Test was not completed
1 = Test was completed
Practice
numberPracticeBlocks The final number of practice blocks run
practiceAcc The final proportion correct practice performance (three intersections), before moving on to the test
Test
numberIntersections The number of intersections travelled (for completed test that should be 32)
numberCorrectResponses The number of correct responses made
propCorrectResponses Proportion Correct responses
meanRT Mean response time (in ms) (regardless of accuracy)
meanCorrRT Mean correct response time (in ms)
sdCorrRT Standard deviation of correct response times (in ms)

Raw Data

File Name: roadmaptest_raw*.iqdat

Data Fields

NameDescription
build Inquisit version number
computer.platform Device platform: win | mac |ios | android
computer.touch 0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities
computer.hasKeyboard 0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected
date Date the session was run
time Time the session was run
subject Participant ID
group Group number
session Session number
blockcode The name the current block (built-in Inquisit variable)
blocknum The number of the current block (built-in Inquisit variable)
trialcode The name of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable)
trialnum The number of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable)
trialnum is a built-in Inquisit variable; it counts all trials run
even those that do not store data to the data file.
phase 1 = practice
2 = test
numberPracticeBlocks Stores the number of practice blocks run
intersection Stores the current intersection
response Stores the response made (leftSignal vs. rightSignal)
corrResp Stores the correct response (left vs. right)
correct 1 = the response was correct; 0 = otherwise
latency The response latency (in ms); measured from onset of response buttons
list.acc.mean The proportion correct responses in the current block

Parameters

The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.

NameDescriptionDefault
Color Parameter
canvasColor Display color of the actively used portion of the screen (the 'canvas')
if set to a color other than the screenColor, the active canvas
appears 'anchored' on the screen regardless of monitor size
black
screenColor Color of the screen not used by the canvas ('inactive screen')black
defaultTextColor Default color of text items presented on active canvaswhite
Design
skipDirectionLabels True = only the turn signal buttons are presented
false = prints "LEFT" and "RIGHT" above the turn signal buttons
false
skipAudioInstructions True: the instructions are only presented visually
false: the instructions are presented visually as well as aurally
false
performanceFeedbackSetting: 0: participants will get performance feedback
1: participants get the choice to get performance feedback
2: participants will not get performance feedback
1
minPracticeAcc The minimum practice performance1.0
maxPracticeBlocks The maximum number of times the practice block is run before
the test drive begins (regardless of practice performance)
2
Timing Parameters
reminderOnsetTime Onset time (in ms) of a response reminder (if no response has been made in the meantime)
practice only
3000