Acquired Equivalence Task

Field	Value
Name	Acquired Equivalence Task
Version	v0.1.0-dev
URL / Repository	TaskBeacon/T000053-acquired-equivalence-task
Short Description	Face-cue / fish-choice acquired-equivalence task with staged learning, repeat-until-criterion training, and a final transfer test
Created By	TaskBeacon build pipeline
Date Updated	2026-04-17
PsyFlow Version	0.1.12
PsychoPy Version	2025.2.4
Modality	Behavior
Language	English

1. Task Overview

This task implements a classic acquired-equivalence paradigm in PsychoPy/PsyFlow. Participants learn which fish goes with each face across three training stages. New faces that share the same learned outcomes are introduced in later stages, and the final transfer test checks whether participants generalize the learned associations to the novel equivalence-consistent pairings.

The runtime keeps the execution auditable. Trial order is deterministic from the task seed, the left/right fish order is counterbalanced within each stage, and training feedback is limited to the learning stages. The task uses generated face and fish reference assets and does not require external licensed media.

2. Task Flow

Block-Level Flow

Step	Description
Load Config	Read the mode-specific config and task metadata.
Collect Subject Info	Collect subject ID in human mode or inject deterministic IDs in QA/sim.
Initialize Runtime	Create the PsychoPy window, keyboard, triggers, and stimulus bank.
Show Instructions	Present the acquired-equivalence instructions and response-key mapping.
Run Stage 1	Train the first face-fish mappings until the streak criterion is met.
Run Stage 2	Add the second face variants while retaining the earlier mappings.
Run Stage 3	Add the second fish set while retaining the earlier face-fish mappings.
Run Transfer Test	Present the retained and novel transfer probes with no feedback.
Finish	Present the goodbye screen, send the end trigger, and quit PsychoPy.

Trial-Level Flow

Step	Description
Trial Fixation	Show a centered fixation cross for a short pre-choice interval.
Face and Fish Display	Show one face cue near the top and two fish choices lower left/right.
Choice Response	Collect Z for left or M for right within the response window.
Training Feedback	Show correctness feedback only during the training stages.
Trial ITI	Show the fixation cross again before the next trial.

Controller Logic

Feature	Description
Condition Scheduling	build_session_plan(...) expands the stage templates into ordered trial lists for Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and the transfer test.
Determinism	Trial order is deterministic from the overall seed, block index, and attempt index.
Criterion Control	Training stages repeat until the required consecutive-correct streak is reached or the repeat limit is hit.
Trial Context	Every participant-visible phase in src/run_trial.py calls set_trial_context(...) before display or response capture.
Simulation	The scripted and sampler responders exercise the response path with high-accuracy training behavior and slightly lower transfer-probe accuracy.

3. Configuration Summary

Setting	Value
Subject Info	subject_id collected as a 3-digit integer in human mode.
Window	1280 x 720, black background, pix units, fullscreen off.
Stimuli	Config-defined instruction text, fixation, feedback, block-intro text, and generated face/fish PNG assets.
Timing	Fixation 0.4 s, response window 3.0 s, feedback 0.8 s, ITI 0.4 s.
Triggers	Experiment, block, choice, response, feedback, ITI, and goodbye triggers are mapped in config/*.yaml.
Adaptive Controller	Stage 1 requires 8 consecutive correct responses, Stage 2 requires 8, and Stage 3 requires 12; training blocks repeat up to 8 attempts.

a. Subject Info

subject_id is collected as a 3-digit integer in human mode.

b. Window Settings

1280 x 720, black background, pix units, fullscreen off.

c. Stimuli

Config-defined instruction text, fixation, feedback, block-intro text, and generated face/fish PNG assets.

d. Timing

Fixation 0.4 s, response window 3.0 s, feedback 0.8 s, ITI 0.4 s.

4. Methods (for academic publication)

Participants complete an acquired-equivalence learning task with face cues and paired fish choices. The task is organized into three training stages and a final transfer test. Early stages establish the associative structure and introduce additional faces or fish while retaining earlier pairings; the final test probes whether learning generalizes to the novel transfer-consistent pairings.

The implementation is designed for reproducibility and auditability. Trial order, left/right response order, and stage repetition are deterministic given the task seed, and the participant-facing text remains config-driven for localization portability.