Parallel M-P task

Run this application online

The magnocellular and parvocellular pathways (M and P pathways) are the major pathways of the visual system. In both human and Old World primates visual information is conveyed by two parallel pathways: the magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) streams that project to separate layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus and are involved primarily in motion and color/form discrimination.

Magnocellular cells in the M pathway have the ability to detect high temporal frequencies and can thus detect quick changes in the position of an object. This is the basis for detecting motion.

Parvocellular cells have greater spatial resolution, but lower temporal resolution, than the magnocellular cells. Observations suggest that the visual information conveyed by the parvocellular stream is particularly important for high-resolution vision—the detailed analysis of the shape, size, and color of objects. The magnocellular stream, on the other hand, is particularly concerned with information about the movement of objects in space. More info: here.

In this task, target and non-target stimuli of M-type (movement) and P-type (shape) are presented simultaneously (in parallel).

At the end of the task, the application shows the accuracy of detection of target stimuli for M and P-type stimuli for different parts of the screen (left, right, up, down).

Optionally, it is possible to activate stimuli in different colors. The size of a P-type stimulus changes as the raster changes.

As the default settings of the application are probably too difficult for most users, we recommend reducing the size of the raster in the task (the number of stimuli displayed simultaneously).

A limited number of settings can be changed within the application.

Language interface: Simple English

Software requirements: Any web browser with ECMAScript 2015 (ES6) support. See browser list: here.

The application has been tested on the following web browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer 11, Opera. We mainly develop all our web applications in the Firefox browser. Therefore, generally speaking, the new version of Firefox is always the most secure solution for reliable use of our web applications.

Licence: GNU Lesser General Public License

Version: 1.0

Download