AGL StimSelect: Software for automated selection of stimuli for artificial grammar learning

Abstract

Artificial grammar learning (AGL) is an experimental paradigm that has been used extensively incognitive research for many years to study implicit learning, associative learning, and generalization on the basis of either similarity or rules. Without computer assistance, it is virtually impossible to generate appropriate grammatical training stimuli along with grammatical or nongrammatical test stimuli that control relevant psychological variables. We present the first flexible, fully automated software for selecting AGL stimuli. The software allows users to specify a grammar of interest, and to manipulate characteristics of training and test sequences, and their relationship to each other. The user therefore has direct control over stimulus features that may influence learning and generalization in AGL tasks. The software, AGL StimSelect, enables researchers to develop AGL designs that would not be feasible without automatic stimulus selection. It is implemented in MATLAB.