OpenSesame and PyGaze workshop in Potsdam

Titus von der Malsburg and colleagues have organised an OpenSesame and PyGaze workshop at the University of Potsdam. This page contains instructions and downloads, and is updated throughout the workshop based on what we need and produce on each day.

The workshop spans two days. On the first day, we will explore OpenSesame and PyGaze, and learn how to create experiments in a graphical user environment, and by using Python code. There will be an eye tracker (GazePoint GP3) present to demonstrate the software’s gaze-tracking capabilities. The second day consists of lab meetings where individual problems and ideas can be discussed.

OpenSesame installation

This one is easy! Just go to the OpenSesame documentation website, and choose the download for your operating system.

Python installation

1. Download and install Anaconda. This is a Python distribution. Please select the version for your operating system, version 2.7, 64-bit. When prompted, make sure you ask the installer to make this your default Python installation. (NOTE: This is assuming you do not already have a Python installation up and running. If you do, you don’t have to install Anaconda!)
2. Open a command prompt or terminal. See below for OS-specific instructions.
1. Windows: Go to the folder where you installed Anaconda, for example C:\Anaconda27, and double-click on the programme called “Anaconda Command Prompt”.
2. Linux: Open a Terminal.
3. OS X: Type “Terminal” in the finder, and hit Enter.
3. Install pygame by running the following command in your command prompt/terminal:
   pip install pygame
4. Install PsychoPy by running the following commands in your command prompt/terminal:
   pip install pyglet
pip install json_tricks
pip install future
pip install psychopy
5. Install PyGaze by running the following commands in your command prompt/terminal:
   pip install python-pygaze

Tutorial instructions

We will be doing most things during the workshop, but some supporting files will be published on this page. For now (before the workshop starts), you only have to download and install OpenSesame and Python via the instructions listed above.

Where next?

If you liked the taste of Python you had during the workshop, there are a few options to continue learning.

A Byte Of Python is a free eBook that has an extensive overview of the language. Learn Python The Hard Way is a similar resource. A lot of the concepts these books introduce are not necessarily relevant for an experimental psychologist or cognitive neuroscientist, so feel free to be somewhat particular about which sections you read.

A more targeted resource is the book Python For Experimental Psychologists. It was written specifically with cognitive experiments in mind, and is therefore a good start for any researcher in experimental psychology or cognitive neuroscience.

Another great resource is the book Python Machine Learning. It has a more advanced scope, and you should definitely already be familiar with Python before sinking your teeth in it.

Downloads

All the experiments we created the workshop can be downloaded form the links below. If they open as text files in your browser, simply select “Save Page As” (under “File“) from your browsers menu.

• Posner cueing task (10 am – noon session)
• Multi-target visual search task (1-3 pm session)
• Pro and anti-saccade task (3-5 pm session)