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Cogsys for the Web
ONLINE EXPERIMENTS
The experiments currently run only on Mozilla Firefox

This is the beginning of a project to collect data online in order to obtain results from a much wider range of people than we currently have in our laboratory experiments. The experiments we are currently running online are ones we have run in the past successfully. We will compare the new online results from people like you with the results from our previous research and see whether this method of data collection works as well as our laboratory experiments.

If you'd like to participate in one of our online experiments, choose from the list below:

Numerosity discrimination - whether an array of asterisks presented on the screen is larger or smaller than 50. This is an experiment that should show few effects of aging.
Memory for lists of words (recognition memory) - whether a word presented on the screen was studied in a prior study list. This should show modest effects of aging.
Determining whether a string of letters is a word or not (lexical decision) - this should show few effects of aging. It tests vocabulary.

Each of these experiments will show an effect of aging on speed of processing, but not much effect on accuracy - or the information driving the decision process.


When you choose from the list above, then click on "CONTINUE" at the bottom of this page, it will take you to a screen with instructions, a short consent form (we have never had a problem with these experiments, but legally need to get your consent), and a few general demographic questions. Then the experiment will begin. After you finish, you will see four graphs that show how your performance compares with other people's. We plot response time and accuracy separately and show where your average score would be relative to college age students and relative to 60-90 year olds. (Scroll down to see an example of output data for a subject with above-normal speed and below-normal accuracy.) We will also point you to a published paper that presents the results of the experiment.


For more online studies please visit:

www.onlinepsychresearch.co.uk

and

www.coglanglab.org
The Cognition and Language Laboratory at Harvard University's web-based lab. The site contains short online vision and memory experiments as well as information about CLL's research and recent results.

Example Output

Most - 98% - of college-aged subjects were less accurate than the subject below, and 70% of subjects 61 years and older were less accurate than this subject (older subjects tend to be more accurate).

About half - 55% - of college-aged subjects were faster than this subject, and only 3% of subjects 61 years and older were faster than this subject (older subjects tend to take more time to ensure higher accuracy).

This subject (a 42 year old male) had the accuracy of an older person (who tend to be more accurate) and the speed of a college-aged person (who tend to be faster).