An R package for state-trace analysis

Behav Res Methods. 2012 Sep;44(3):644-55. doi: 10.3758/s13428-012-0232-y.

Abstract

State-trace analysis (Bamber, Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 19, 137-181, 1979) is a graphical analysis that can determine whether one or more than one latent variable mediates an apparent dissociation between the effects of two experimental manipulations. State-trace analysis makes only ordinal assumptions and so, is not confounded by range effects that plague alternative methods, especially when performance is measured on a bounded scale (such as accuracy). We describe and illustrate the application of a freely available GUI driven package, StateTrace, for the R language. StateTrace automates many aspects of a state-trace analysis of accuracy and other binary response data, including customizable graphics and the efficient management of computationally intensive Bayesian methods for quantifying evidence about the outcomes of a state-trace experiment, developed by Prince, Brown, and Heathcote (Psychological Methods, 17, 78-99, 2012).

MeSH terms

  • Bayes Theorem*
  • Computer Graphics
  • Data Interpretation, Statistical*
  • Humans
  • Mathematical Computing*
  • Neurosciences / statistics & numerical data*
  • Programming Languages*
  • Psychology, Experimental / statistics & numerical data*
  • Software*