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Experimental Evaluation of Tachistoscopic Measurement: A Step Beyond Wundt's Criticism
2014, The American Journal of Psychology
This study was designed to assess the possible systematic bias in measurements obtained using tachistoscopic devices from different historical periods of psychological research. Four different tachistoscopic devices were used for brief presentations of stimuli in a letter recognition task. The research sample consisted of 24 participants (12 female, 12 male) in a within-subject experimental design with complete counterbalancing of 4 conditions defined by 4 instrument types: fall tachistoscope, tachistoscope with camera-like shutter, and computer-based tachistoscopes with cathode ray tube and liquid crystal diode display screens. The effects of experimental conditions were examined using a linear mixed model analysis. Our experiment demonstrated that even in standardized settings the type of tachistoscope used for stimulus presentation systematically influenced the participants' performance. We found that the lowest number of correctly recalled stimuli, as well as the highest number of erroneously recalled stimuli, was produced in the camera-like tachistoscope condition. Together, these findings suggest that when results from studies involving tachistoscopic experiments are reviewed, the unique characteristics of each particular instrument used must be considered carefully.
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TACHISTOSCOPE
The tachistoscope is an instrument used in psychological studies to measure reaction time and the speed at which an individual can process visual information. It has been used extensively in research on attention, visual perception, learning, and memory. This article provides an overview of the tachistoscope, its history, and its uses in psychological research.
The first tachistoscope was developed in the early 1900s by psychologist and psychophysicist Alfred L. Yarbus. Yarbus was interested in studying the eye movements of subjects in response to a visual stimulus. He created the tachistoscope to measure the speed of recognition of a visual stimulus. By the 1930s, the tachistoscope had become a popular tool for researchers studying perception and reaction time.
A tachistoscope consists of a projector, a timer, and a screen. A visual stimulus, such as a word, image, or pattern, is projected onto the screen with the projector. The timer, which is usually a mechanical device, is then used to control the length of time that the stimulus is presented.
The tachistoscope is used to measure the speed of recognition of a visual stimulus. This is done by presenting a stimulus for a brief period of time, usually less than one second, and measuring the time it takes for the subject to recognize the stimulus. This can be used to measure the speed of reaction time, as well as the speed of visual information processing.
The tachistoscope has been used extensively in research on attention and visual perception. It has been used to study the effects of different types of stimuli on reaction time, as well as the effects of different factors such as age, gender, and experience on reaction time. It has also been used to study the effects of distraction on reaction time.
In addition, the tachistoscope has been used in research on learning and memory. It has been used to study the effects of different types of stimuli on memory recall, as well as the effects of different factors such as age, gender, and experience on memory recall.
The tachistoscope is an instrument that has been used extensively in psychological research. It is used to measure the speed of recognition of a visual stimulus and the speed of reaction time, as well as the effects of different types of stimuli on perception, learning, and memory.
Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. (2020). Tachistoscope. Retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/psychology/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/tachistoscope
Liu, J. (2017). Tachistoscope: Definition, Uses & Examples. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/tachistoscope-definition-uses-examples.html
Yarbus, A. (1967). Eye Movements and Vision. New York, NY: Plenum Press.
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Topo- (top-), touch therapy, trait rating.
Tachistoscope
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- First Online: 25 April 2024
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- Sun Tianyi 2
Tachistoscope is a psychological instrument used to present brief visual stimuli in the study of perception, memory, and learning. It was invented by the German physiologist Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann in 1859. The tachistoscope was one of the first instruments used in psychological experiments. Early tachistoscopes were generally fall tachistoscope and later developed into shutter type and electronically controlled tachistoscopes. With the rapid development of cognitive psychology, the multi-field tachistoscopes emerged in the 1980s. For instance, a four-field tachistoscope may present stimuli in each of the four fields, respectively, or simultaneously. Stimuli can be standard cards or slides or physical objects. During the experiment, the film can be changed either semi-automatically or manually. The time range of stimulus presentation is 1 ms to 100 s. In addition, the tachistoscope can also be used with computer and reaction time system. It has a wide range of applications (Fig. 1 ).
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Further Reading
Kantowitz BH, Roediger HL, Elmes DG (2015) Experimental psychology, 10th edn. Cengage Learning, Boston
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Zhang X-M, Hua S (2014) Experimental psychology. Beijing Normal University Publishing Group, Beijing
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School of Educational Science, Xinyang Normal University, Zhengzhou, China
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© 2024 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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Tianyi, S. (2024). Tachistoscope. In: The ECPH Encyclopedia of Psychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6000-2_869-1
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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6000-2_869-1
Received : 23 March 2024
Accepted : 25 March 2024
Published : 25 April 2024
Publisher Name : Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN : 978-981-99-6000-2
Online ISBN : 978-981-99-6000-2
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Experimental evaluation of tachistoscopic measurement: a step beyond Wundt's criticism
- PMID: 24934014
This study was designed to assess the possible systematic bias in measurements obtained using tachistoscopic devices from different historical periods of psychological research. Four different tachistoscopic devices were used for brief presentations of stimuli in a letter recognition task. The research sample consisted of 24 participants (12 female, 12 male) in a within-subject experimental design with complete counterbalancing of 4 conditions defined by 4 instrument types: fall tachistoscope, tachistoscope with camera-like shutter, and computer-based tachistoscopes with cathode ray tube and liquid crystal diode display screens. The effects of experimental conditions were examined using a linear mixed model analysis. Our experiment demonstrated that even in standardized settings the type of tachistoscope used for stimulus presentation systematically influenced the participants' performance. We found that the lowest number of correctly recalled stimuli, as well as the highest number of erroneously recalled stimuli, was produced in the camera-like tachistoscope condition. Together, these findings suggest that when results from studies involving tachistoscopic experiments are reviewed, the unique characteristics of each particular instrument used must be considered carefully.
Publication types
- Comparative Study
- Evaluation Study
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Discrimination, Psychological
- Equipment Design
- Individuality
- Pattern Recognition, Visual*
- Psychology, Experimental / instrumentation*
- Psychometrics / statistics & numerical data
- Reaction Time*
- Reproducibility of Results
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COMMENTS
A tachistoscope is an instrument that briefly presents visual stimuli for a short and variable duration, typically less than 0.1 seconds, often used in psychological experiments to study visual perception and cognition. AI generated definition based on: Dictionary of Optometry and Vision Science (Eighth Edition), 2018
the camera-like tachistoscope condition. Together, these findings suggest that when results from studies involving tachistoscopic experiments are reviewed, the unique characteristics of each particular instrument used must be considered carefully. The inception of psychology as an independent sci - entific discipline with its experimental ...
Our experiment demonstrated that even in standardized settings the type of tachistoscope used for stimulus presentation systematically influenced the participants' performance. We found that the lowest number of correctly recalled stimuli, as well as the highest number of erroneously recalled stimuli, was produced in the camera-like ...
Mar 22, 2012 · The tachistoscope, in contrast, allowed for a much more controlled exposure that would only introduce minimal differences of stimuli into a subject’s visual field. See Benschop, ‘What is a Tachistoscope?’, 30; Volkmann, ‘Das Tachistosop’, 90.
The tachistoscope is an instrument that has been used extensively in psychological research. It is used to measure the speed of recognition of a visual stimulus and the speed of reaction time, as well as the effects of different types of stimuli on perception, learning, and memory. References . Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. (2020 ...
Apr 25, 2024 · The tachistoscope was one of the first instruments used in psychological experiments. Early tachistoscopes were generally fall tachistoscope and later developed into shutter type and electronically controlled tachistoscopes. With the rapid development of cognitive psychology, the multi-field tachistoscopes emerged in the 1980s.
Our experiment demonstrated that even in standardized settings the type of tachistoscope used for stimulus presentation systematically influenced the participants' performance.
In the fall and winter of 1910, Max Wertheimer (1880–1943) performed his famous experiments on perceived motion, published in 1912. Besides slider experiments he mainly used a wheel tachistoscope developed by Friedrich Schumann (1863–1940) at the end of the 19th century. The Adolf-Wuerth-Center for the History of Psychology has several wheel tachistoscopes in its collection of instruments ...
To do this, I will explore an episode in the early history of the tachistoscope--defined, among other things, as an instrument for the brief exposure of visual stimuli in experimental psychology. After looking at the tachistoscope described by physiologist Volkmann in 1859, I will turn to the gravity chronometer, constructed by Cattell at Wundt ...
Our experiment demonstrated that even in standardized settings the type of tachistoscope used for stimulus presentation systematically influenced the participants' performance. We found that the lowest number of correctly recalled stimuli, as well as the highest number of erroneously recalled stimuli, was produced in the camera-like ...