Munneke, J. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

PLFest: A Multi-Site Validation of an Open Platform for Visual and Cognitive Assessment

PurposeTo evaluate the feasibility, validity, and scalability of PLFest, an open-source, Unity-based, cross-platform application designed for standardized, multi-site visual and cognitive assessment and training. MethodsTwo hundred sixty participants (mean age = 23 years) were recruited across four university sites in the United States. Participants completed a battery of five visual assessments administered through PLFest, including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, spatial frequency cutoff, contrast sensitivity at spatial-frequency cutoff, and visual search. Five cognitive assessments measuring visuospatial working memory, verbal working memory, fluid reasoning, inhibitory control, and selective attention were also administered. Descriptive statistics and performance distributions were examined and compared with normative data. ResultsVisual acuity and contrast sensitivity measures closely matched previously reported normative values obtained using established clinical and psychophysical methods. Spatial frequency cutoff and visual search tasks produced stable threshold estimates while showing substantial inter-individual variability. Performance across all cognitive assessments was consistent with published validation studies of the corresponding tasks. Across the full battery, adaptive procedures demonstrated reliable convergence and generated well-distributed performance measures without evidence of substantial floor or ceiling effects. Importantly, these findings were observed across four geographically distributed testing sites using standardized consumer-grade tablet hardware. ConclusionsPLFest provides reliable and scalable assessment of visual and cognitive function using portable consumer devices. The platform supports standardized data collection across distributed research settings while maintaining performance characteristics consistent with established laboratory and clinical benchmarks. These findings support the use of PLFest as a reliable framework for large-scale studies of vision and cognition. Translational RelevanceBy reducing dependence on specialized laboratory infrastructure and trained personnel, PLFest may facilitate broader access to visual and cognitive assessment, enabling large-scale research, screening, and future rehabilitation applications.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Multivariate analysis of EEG activity indexes contingent and non-contingent attentional capture

It is well known that salient yet irrelevant singleton can capture attention, even when this is inconsistent with the current goals of the observer (Theeuwes, 1992; 2010). Others however have claimed that capture is critically contingent on the goals of the observer: Capture is strongly modulated (or even eliminated) when the irrelevant singleton does not match the target-defining properties (Folk, Remington, & Johnston, 1992). There has been a long-standing debate on whether attentional capture can be explained by goal-driven and/or stimulus-driven accounts. Here, we shed further light on this phenomenon by using EEG activity (raw EEG and alpha power) to provide a time-resolved index of attentional orienting. Participants searched for a target defined by a pre-specified color. The search display was preceded by a singleton cue that either matched the color of the upcoming target (contingent cues), or that appeared in an irrelevant color (non-contingent cues). Multivariate analysis of raw EEG and alpha power revealed preferential tuning to the location of both contingent and non-contingent cues, with a stronger bias towards contingent than non-contingent cues. The time course of these effects, however, depended on the neural signal. Raw EEG data revealed attentional orienting towards the cue early on in the trial (>156 ms), while alpha power revealed sustained spatial selection in the cued locations at a later moment in the trial (>250 ms). Moreover, while raw EEG showed stronger capture by contingent cues during this early time window, the advantage for contingent cues arose during a later time window in alpha band activity. Thus, our findings suggest that raw EEG activity and alpha-band power tap into distinct neural processes that index movements of covert spatial attention. Both signals provide clear neural evidence that both contingent and non-contingent cues can capture attention, and that this process is robustly shaped by the target-defining properties in the current block of trials.

neuroscience↗