Card Sorting Task (jsPsych)

This repository contains a Card Sorting Task implemented using the jsPsych library (de Leeuw, J. R., 2015). It is based on the principles of the Berg's Card Sorting Test (Fox et al., 2013) and is designed to measure executive functions, including cognitive flexibility and abstract reasoning.

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🚀 Getting Started

To run the task, open the index.html file located in either the offline or online folder.

Folder	Subject ID & Session	Use Case
offline	Subject and session numbers can be customized upon startup.	Local testing, lab settings.
online	A 15-character long random subject ID is automatically generated.	Online data collection.

Browser Requirements

The task is compatible with most modern browsers.

Incompatible Browsers: Safari and Internet Explorer.

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🧠 Task Structure and Procedure

The task requires the user to classify a target card based on a hidden sorting rule (Color, Shape, or Number).

Stimuli and Sorting

1. Reference Cards: Four stationary reference cards appear at the top of the screen. Each card is unique across three properties:
   • Card 0: 1 Red Triangle
   • Card 1: 2 Green Stars
   • Card 2: 3 Yellow Diamonds
   • Card 3: 4 Blue Circles
2. Target Card: A fifth card appears below the reference cards.
3. Classification: The user classifies the target card by clicking on one of the four reference cards.
4. Feedback: Immediate feedback ("Correct" or "Wrong") is provided after each click, but the sorting rule is not revealed.

Rules and Progression

• A total of 64 target cards are presented.
• Rule Change Criterion: The sorting rule automatically changes after 10 consecutive correct answers.
• Rule Sequence: The rules are presented in a fixed, repeating order for up to six categories: Color, Shape, Number, Color, Shape, Number.
• Categories: Successful completion of the sequence allows up to six categories to be achieved.

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⚙️ Setting Options

The task's language can be customized by modifying the parameters.js file:

• Variable: language
• Available Languages: English (en), Hungarian (hu), French (fr), Portuguese (pt).

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💾 Output File Data

The experiment generates a comprehensive data file, including raw variables for trial-by-trial analysis and aggregated statistical variables.

Trial-Level Variables

Variable	Description
subject	15-char random ID (online) or custom number (offline).
session	Custom session number (offline version only).
rt	Reaction time for the card sort (in ms).
card_number	Index of the presented target card (1-64).
correct	Whether the card was sorted correctly (true or false).
correct_in_row	Number of consecutive correct answers (resets to 0 on an error).
number_of_rule	The current rule being applied (1-6).
category_completed	The number of categories successfully completed (0-6).
applied_rule	The rule the user actually used for the classification (C, S, or N).
perseverative_error	Error where the user used the same rule as the previous choice (1 = yes, 0 = no).
perseverative_response	Incorrect response that would have been correct for the previous category (1 = yes, 0 = no).
non_perseverative_error	Incorrect responses that are not perseverative (1 = yes, 0 = no).
failure_to_maintain	Error after 5+ consecutive correct responses but before the category was completed (1 = yes, 0 = no).
total_errors	Cumulative number of errors (1-64).
correct_card	The number of the correct card according to the rule currently applied.
color_rule, shape_rule, number_rule	The correct reference card number (0-3) if that rule were hypothetically applied.
trial_type, test_part, stimulus, etc.	Standard jsPsych and task event variables.

Summary Statistics (STAT_ Columns)

The following columns provide aggregate statistics calculated at the end of the task:

Statistic Variable	Description
STAT_nr_of_trials	Total number of sorting trials (usually 64).
STAT_p_of_correct_trials	Percentage of correct trials.
STAT_nr_of_of_total_errors	Total number of errors.
STAT_p_of_errors	Percentage of errors.
STAT_category_achieved	Number of categories successfully completed (0-6).
STAT_nr_of_perseverative_responses	Total number of perseverative responses.
STAT_nr_of_perseverative_errors	Total number of perseverative errors.
STAT_p_perseverative_errors	Percentage of perseverative errors (out of total trials).
STAT_failure_to_maintain_set	Number of times five or more consecutive correct responses occur without completing the category.
STAT_trials_to_complete_first_category	Trials needed to achieve the first 10 consecutive correct responses.

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📝 Citation

If you use this script in your research, please include the following citation in your manuscript: Vékony, T. (2022). Card Sorting Task created with jsPsych (Version 1.0.1) [Computer software]. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7093470