Character String Recognition Reaction Timer

This program will be used to record users’ reaction times in recognizing letter patterns. These times will be compared by using text of four different colors. We want to see if the color contrast of the text to the background will affect the users’ reaction times. The program will display several ***tests*** that will require the user to match strings of letters and it will record their reaction times. Each ***test*** consists of a ***key*** string of 4 letters. Below the ***key*** will be 6 ***choices****,* each consisting of 6 letters. Exactly one ***choice*** will contain the exact string found in the ***key*** string. The user is to click on the correct ***choice*** string that matches the ***key*** string. The program is to record the reaction time from when the text becomes visible to the time the correct answer is clicked. After the correct answer is chosen, a ***continue*** option will appear. When the ***continue*** option is selected, a new ***test*** will appear with a new set of ***key*** and ***choice*** strings and the timer will be reset and started. Each ***test*** will use a white background that covers the whole screen and will use text of one of four ***colors***. The ***colors*** can be represented by a percentage on the grayscale with 0%= white and 100% = black. The four possible ***colors*** will be ***light gray (25%), medium gray (50%), dark gray (75%) and black (100%)****.* The program will cycle through 12 ***tests***, having 3 ***tests*** for each ***color*** of text. Once complete, the program will save all reaction times along with their corresponding text ***color*** in a readable file (such as a .txt file). ## Deliverables **Randomization:** This program will be used for scientific research and it is therefore important that everything be randomized. The following is a list of aspects that need to be randomized for the test: - Text ***color*** used in each ***test*** (4 ***colors*** total, randomized, but each will be used 3 times total) - All text strings (each string will use only the letters “BCDFGH??. Each ***choice*** string will use each letter exactly once, the ***key*** string will use only 4 of the letters exactly once. The letter patterns will be randomized) - The correct ***choice*** string (for each test, the placement of the correct ***choice*** string matching the ***key*** string will be randomized. Since there are 6 ***choice*** strings, there are 6 places where the correct one can be placed. This placement is to be randomized.) - The placement of the matching string in the ***choice*** (the ***key*** is only 4 letters while the ***choice*** is 6. The ***choice*** will therefore have 2 extra letters in its string. These will be both before, both after, or surrounding the 4 letter string matching the ***key***. This placement within the ***choice*** is to be randomized). *Note that clicking on an incorrect ***choice*** string will not result in a reaction by the program, the ***test***, or the timer. Only a correct ***choice*** will end the timer and activate the continue option; and only clicking on the continue option will activate the next ***test*** and reset/reactivate the timer. *At the end of the 12th ***test***, the continue option should not activate. Instead the program should write the final data to the .txt file and then terminate. The user is **not** to be able to view his results. The reaction times should **only** be able to be viewed by opening the .txt file. *See [login to view URL] for examples of the ***key*** and ***choice*** strings. **Deliverables:** 1) Complete and fully-functional working program(s) in executable form as well as complete source code of all work done. 2) Installation package that will install the software (in ready-to-run condition) on the platform(s) specified in this bid request. ## Platform Must run on Windows 98. Can run as a stand-alone program, or through Internet Explorer, or as a JAVA executable.