Psykinematix is a new OpenGL-based Software Package dedicated to Visual Psychophysics running on Mac OSX. It consists in a unique stand-alone application that does not require any programming skill to create and run complex experiments. Easy to use, subject-friendly, powerful and reliable, Psykinematix runs standard psychophysical protocols, presents complex stimuli, collects subject's responses, and analyzes results on the fly. Psykinematix is also a great learning tool to introduce visual perception and to illustrate psychophysical concepts to students.


I have recommended Psykinematix to students because it is a quality fast-track solution to experiment design and development.

Max Farrell-Whelan, Macquarie University

Psykinematix is an excellent tool for the rapid and accurate development of psychophysical testing. It allows for the swift conversion of ideas into experiments.

Ben Thompson, University of Auckland


To learn more about the use of Psykinematix in clinical research, check our VSJ 2009 paper: "Psykinematix: A New Psychophysical Tool for Investigating Visual Impairment due to Neural Dysfunctions".

Version 1.2.3 of Psykinematix is available with 11 new features worth noting:

  • Support for 3rd-party USB devices (ioLab Button Box, Cedrus RB-x30 Response Pads, Lumina Response Pads for fMRI through LSC-400 controller, HID Gamepad and Joystick)
  • Support for button box internal timer for high accuracy response time measurements (eg, ioLab & Cedrus button box) with estimation of clock drift and clock-based Trial Alarm
  • Design and preview of Custom Stimuli in Fourier domain
  • Position, font and size parameters for built-in fixation marks, with support for random selection of fixation mark and change detection (eg, for attention control)
  • "Stippled Lines" option to Shape Stimulus
  • "Pause" option before triggering the next trial
  • Support for multiple lines expression for all stimuli parameter text fields and improved math editor
  • Easy way to apply disparity modulation in Custom Stimulus (see dshiftp() function)
  • RSVP (Rapid Sequential Visual Presentation)
  • Multiple Input Collection (useful in binocular rivalry studies)
  • Easy way to take a screenshot during an experiment
Other Psykinematix features:
What are the hardware and software requirements ?

Psykinematix runs on any Macintosh computer released since 2002 supporting at least MacOS X 10.4 (Tiger) and with a minimum of 32MB of video memory, 512MB RAM, and a 800 Mhz processor. Psykinematix is provided as a Universal Binary so it runs natively on both PowerPC-powered and newly released Intel-powered Macintosh computers.

Recommended System Requirements:
Software: Latest Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.5 or Mac OS X 10.6 (tested on the latest 10.6.3), QuickTime 7 or Quicktime X

Hardware:
  • PowerPC G4, G5 or Intel Core processor >1.5 GHz
  • 1 GB of RAM, 5 GB of free hard-disk space on system partition
  • ATI Radeon, NVIDIA GeForce, or Intel GMA video chip with 64MB
Psykinematix has been successfully tested on the following systems:
  • iMac G4 FP 800Mhz, 1GB RAM, GeForce2 MX 32MB
  • iBook G4 1Ghz, 640MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9200 32MB
  • iMac G4 FP 1.25Ghz, 768MB RAM, GeForce FX 5200 64MB
  • PowerMac G4 1.25Ghz, 1.5GB RAM, GeForce4 Ti 4600 128MB
  • MacMini G4 1.42Ghz, 512MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9200 32MB
  • MacMini Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66 GHz, 1GB RAM, Intel GMA 950 64MB NEW!
  • PowerBook G4 1.67Ghz, 1GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9700 128MB
  • MacMini Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz, 1GB RAM, Intel GMA 950 64MB
  • PowerMac G5 2.0GHz, 1GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB NEW!
  • MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz, 2GB RAM, ATI Radeon X1600 256MB
  • iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz, 2GB RAM, ATI Radeon X1600 256MB
  • MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz, 2GB RAM, GeForce 8600M GT 256MB
  • MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz, 4GB RAM, GeForce 8600M GT 512MB NEW!
  • MacPro Quad-Core Intel Xeon 2x2.8 GHz, 2GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 2600 256 MB
  • MacPro Quad-Core Intel Xeon 2x2.8 GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB
  • MacPro Quad-Core Intel Xeon 2x3.0 GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB NEW!

Need to upgrade your experimental setup or lab? Here are few suggestions:

Locations of visitors to this page