Assignment 3: Practice and control flow: safe routes through a task
Weight: 10 course points. Due: Before Meeting 4. Expected work: 3 hours.
Task
Complete the Meeting 3 flanker starter. Use the URL to choose A or B (default A), reverse the left/right key mapping across groups, and show the active mapping. Add practice-only feedback. Repeat the four-item practice until at least 75% are correct, up to three attempts. Compute the criterion from the current attempt. Run eight test trials only after a pass; otherwise show a helpful stop screen. Keep test feedback off. Save group, block, condition, item, attempt, expected response, correctness, and omission fields.
The provided stimulus lists are intentionally small. Independently check the middle character of every arrow string before trusting any answer key.
Required checks
Test A and B. Demonstrate: (a) pass first attempt: 4 practice + 8 test rows; (b) fail then pass: 8 practice + 8 test rows; (c) fail all three: 12 practice + 0 test rows. Also test exactly 3/4 correct to verify the boundary. Feedback and fixation rows do not enter these counts.
Submit
Follow the common submission requirements. Include the runnable experiment, a synthetic/self-pilot export, and a short note with your checks. Keep a failed run when it demonstrates an intended branch; label it clearly. Do not collect research participants for this assignment.
Rubric
| Criterion | Evidence | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Mapping and instructions | Both A/B work; instructions and stored group match the active mapping | 2 |
| Phases and feedback | Practice has feedback, test does not; labels distinguish all rows | 2 |
| Bounded practice | Current attempt criterion, 75% threshold, maximum three attempts | 3 |
| Branch verification | Pass-first, fail-then-pass, fail-all evidence with expected trial counts | 2 |
| Documentation | Readable flow diagram/table, launch URLs, attribution | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Optional extension (no extra points required for full credit)
Offer a voluntary repeat after a successful practice pass, without removing the maximum-attempt rule or hiding that choice in the data. Explain why alternating two URL links is an allocation procedure, while merely reading a URL is not counterbalancing by itself.
Submit through the course website. This local copy is for reading and preparation.