Anti‑Saccade (Keyboard)
A saccade‑inhibition task: after fixation, a lateral cue appears, then a target appears either on the same side as the cue (pro‑saccade) or on the opposite side (anti‑saccade). Press the key for the side where the target appears; on anti‑saccade trials you must inhibit the reflexive urge to follow the cue.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Overview
After a lateral cue, the target appears on the same side (pro‑saccade) or the opposite side (anti‑saccade). Inhibit the reflexive urge to follow the cue and press the key for the side where the target appears.
How to operate
Fixate on the center cross, then press F if the target appears on the left or J if it appears on the right. Your accuracy and reaction time are recorded.
Outputs
Overall accuracy and mean reaction time, plus per-trial responses.
Show Details
About the Anti‑Saccade Task
Background
The anti-saccade task is based on the paradigm introduced by Hallett (1978). It measures the ability to inhibit reflexive eye movements toward sudden peripheral stimuli and instead generate a voluntary eye movement in the opposite direction.
Cognitive Mechanisms
This task assesses response inhibition and cognitive control. Successful performance requires the prefrontal cortex to override the automatic 'look-at-it' reflex and program a voluntary movement to the mirror location.
Clinical Applications
The anti-saccade error rate is elevated in conditions affecting frontal lobe function, including schizophrenia, ADHD, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is used in research settings to study cognitive control.
References
- Munoz, D. P., & Everling, S. (2004). Look away: The anti-saccade task and the voluntary control of eye movement. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(3), 218-228. 10.1038/nrn1345
- Hallett, P. E. (1978). Primary and secondary saccades to goals defined by instructions. Vision Research, 18(10), 1279-1296.
- Everling, S., & Fischer, B. (1998). The antisaccade: A review of basic research and clinical studies. Neuropsychologia, 36(9), 885-899. 10.1016/s0028-3932(98)00020-7
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About This Experiment
This experiment is an educational adaptation for demonstration purposes. It is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Results reflect your performance in this specific session and should not be interpreted as an assessment of your cognitive abilities.
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