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Please read the instructions very carefully! You will have to pass a test on your understanding before you can start the experiment.
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In this task you will try to work out how several causal devices work. The causal devices look like this:
Some of the components are connected together while others are not. Your job is to work out where the connections are in each device.
When a component activates, it is marked by turning yellow for a moment. It will then normally activate any other components that it connects to, after a delay. These can then activate other components after a further delay, and so on according to the causal connections.
You will be able to turn components on by left clicking on them.
In the example below, the person turns on (left clicks on) the top component. A little while later the bottom right component turns on. Then, a while after that the bottom left component turns on.
More information about the devices:
1. On average, the connections always take around 1.5 seconds to work. However, there is a little bit of variability within each connection. Sometimes the same connection will work slightly faster, other times slightly slower.
1. On average, the connections take around 1.5 seconds to work. However there is quite a lot of variation within each connection. Sometimes the same connection will work a lot faster, other times a lot slower.
2. The connections work 90% of the time, which means they could fail to generate effects sometimes.
3. Components never activate by themselves but only if they are caused to do so by you OR as a knock-on effect of one of the other component activations.
Besides, you will also be able to "block" components by right clicking on them. If a component is "blocked", it can neither be activated nor generate activations on its connected effect components. You can right click on the component again to make it unblock. You have unlimited opportunities to use "blocking" if you find it can help you make more accurate judgments.
In the example below, the person blocks (right clicks on) the bottom right component, turns on (left clicks on) the top component, and finally unblocks (right clicks on again) the bottom right component. Although components are connected to each other, the bottom two components do not activate because of the blocking action.
In the example below, you will see how to give your answers.
You mark where you think the connections go by left clicking in the grey boxes between each pair of components. This cycles through the different options (left, right, both ways, or no connection).
Once you have selected the connection(s) you want, your temporary answer will be locked automatically (the color of links will turn black). These answers may be used to calculate your bonus.
Your goal is to identify the true connections. You will get 5 cents for each space where you:
1. Correctly identify that there is a left-to-right connection.
2. Correctly identify that there is a right-to-left connection.
3. Correctly identify that there is a connection going in both directions.
4. Correctly identify that there is no connection.
If you mark anything other than the correct connection you get no bonus for that space.
You will have 45 seconds to explore each device. However, the bonuses will be based on randomly chosen time for each device. Sometimes this will be nearer the beginning, sometimes near the end of the 45 seconds. You will not be able to tell. This means you should try to mark the right connections as quickly as possible! You can make changes at any time during the trial by clicking in the grey boxes. Your new answer will be locked automatically (as the color of links turn black), and the bonus calculation is based on your recent locked answer.
At the end of each problem, you will see feedback showing the true causal connections and how many you had identified right by the end as the example below.
Remember: The bonuses will be based on randomly chosen time points for each device, not what you have marked by the end of each problem. This means you should mark your best guess as quickly as possible!
Please indicate for each statement whether it is correct or false.
Well done, you got all the questions correct!
You are now ready to start the task.
Unfortunately, you didn't answer all of the comprehension check questions correctly.
Please have another close look at the instructions and work out whether those statements are correct or false.
Congratulations!
How did you work out where the connections were? What did you find particularly easy/hard? Did you have a strategy, if so what was it? Did you spot any bugs or errors?
Please answer the following questions about yourself to complete the experiment:
1. Age *: years
2. Gender *: