Abstract
While FOCAL has become a commonplace calculational language in many small computer laboratories, the use of FOCAL as an experimental control system has been largely ignored. In the present paper, a 4K FOCAL laboratory system is described. Extensions to the FOCAL function and command lists provide for integer manipulations, high- and low-speed output, and a variable DO statement. By providing access to experimental peripheral devices, FOCAL can be used as a powerful operating system. As an illustration, a two-choice reaction time experiment is discussed, a FOCAL control program for this experiment is described, and an assembly language listing illustrates how changes to FOCAL can be made.
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The research described in this paper was supported by the National Research Council of Canada. The paper was aided by the support of Rockefeller University during my tenure as visiting Associate Professor of Psychology.
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Link, S.W. 4K laboratory FOCAL. Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation 7, 137–142 (1975). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03201312
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03201312