Using PsyCog

About This Beta Version

Most of the experiments and demonstrations are available but most text has not been updated and some chapters do not yet have active links. All active links are in the .

Compatibility

For best results, use the Chrome browser. This HTML version of PsyCog is under development, completely rewritten from the original version. In principle, it should work in any modern web browser regardless of platform. However, browsers differ somewhat in their implementation of HTML. Chrome (versions ≥ 87) works well in MacOS and Windows. Firefox (version 85) has aesthetic quirks and fails to display some images. Safari (versions ≥ 14) and Edge (versions ≥ 87) both work well. Limited testing on iOS finds Safari and Chrome to be basically functional but they may not to support all features. I have not tested at all on Android tablets or on Linux. Everything should work on a screen at least 1024×768 pixels. Some demonstrations may work on smaller screens (e.g. phones) but this is neither intended nor guaranteed. PsyCog requires JavaScript; in the unlikely event that it is disabled in your browser, you must enable it for this site.

Interface

Chapter text can be made larger or smaller using the a A buttons at the top of the window. Using a browser’s zoom (+ and −) controls may have undesirable effects.

Experiments, figures, and demonstrations open in new tabs, while chapters open in the parent window. External links open in new tabs.

Saving Data

Data generated by experiments can be saved in text files (.txt). These can be read via the Open data files button under the index. The Load Data Files link at the top of the index allows instructors to combine multiple data files into one large data set. This version of PsyCog can also open data files (.pcg) generated by the original version. You can also print a result window to pdf.

Many of the illusion demonstrations allow you to save your images in the portable network graphics (.png) format, which can be read by most drawing software. Any demonstration that can do this has a link in its caption.



Development of the original PsyCog was supported by National Science Foundation award 0088829.