A software solution for the control of visual behavioral experimentation

Psychophysical and neurophysiological research requires precise control of experimental devices for the purpose of delivering stimuli and monitoring behavioral and neural responses. This has previously been accomplished by complex, often proprietary, programmable systems, interfacing with a limited range of hardware. We have developed a software solution entirely within the Matlab environment that can achieve high-speed control of experimental and behavioral variables. We make this Wake-Forest Visual Experimentation (WaVE) software freely available under the GNU public license, and demonstrate how to customize it to individual laboratory needs. WaVE takes advantage of existing Matlab libraries and toolboxes to present visual stimuli, collect experimental data, update behavioral variables, and communicate with other computers. Although we have developed it for use in a Windows-based Personal Computer, the portability of the Matlab code makes possible its customization for use in a variety of other systems. We present simulation results showing sub-millisecond sampling rate and updating precision, running on single-processor, desktop PCs. The WaVE software offers a simple, flexible and powerful solution that compares favorably with many of its costly alternatives.