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ANY-maze Help > The ANY-maze reference > The Protocol page > The elements of a protocol > Behaviour > Virtual switches > Virtual switch measures
Virtual switch measures
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ANY-maze will score the following measures for a virtual switch:
Most measures are available for the apparatus as whole (i.e. irrespective of where the behaviour occurred), and also for each defined zone*. For example, if a protocol includes two zones called 'Left' and 'Right', and a virtual switch has been defined for 'Moving fast', then the following sets of measures will be available:
| | • | The measures listed above for moving fast anywhere in the apparatus. | |
| | • | The measures listed above* for moving fast in the left zone. | |
| | • | The measures listed above* for moving fast in the right zone. | |
*Except for 'Average activation duration' and 'Distance travelled before 1st activation', which are only available for the apparatus as a whole.
Number of activations
| Description | Reports the number of times the virtual switch was activated (turned on). |
| Calculation method | Counts the number of activations. |
| Analysis in zones | Counts the number of times the virtual switch was activated while the animal was in the zone (or for an investigation zone, while the animal was investigating the zone). Note that if the virtual switch is active when the animal enters (or starts investigating) the zone, an activation will not be counted. |
| Analysis across time | This measure can be analysed across time. For any time period, the result is the number of activations during the time period. |
Time active
| Description | Reports the total amount of time the virtual switch was active. |
| Calculation method | Sums the duration of each activation of the virtual switch. |
| Analysis in zones | Sums the amount of time for which the virtual switch was active when the animal was in the zone (or for an investigation zone, while the animal was investigating the zone). |
For a particular zone, it's possible for the Time active to be non-zero while the Number of activations is zero. This can occur if the animal enters the zone when the virtual switch is active. In this case, the time the virtual switch is active in the zone will be registered, but the activation itself won't be (as it didn't occur in the zone).
| Analysis across time | This measure can be analysed across time. For any time period, the result is the amount of time that the virtual switch was active during the period. |
For a particular time period, it's possible for the Time active during the period to be non-zero while the Number of activations for the period is zero. This can occur if the virtual switch is already active at the start of the period. In this case the time the virtual switch is active will be registered, but the activation itself won't be.
Latency to first activation
| Description | Reports the amount of time that elapsed in the test before the virtual switch was activated for the first time. |
| Calculation method | The value of the test clock at the first activation. |
| Analysis in zones | The value of the test clock at the first activation that occurred when the animal was in the zone (or for an investigation zone, while the animal was investigating the zone). |
| Analysis across time | This measure cannot be analysed across time. |
Latency to first deactivation
| Description | Reports the amount of time that elapsed in the test before the virtual switch was deactivated for the first time. |
| Calculation method | The value of the test clock at the first deactivation. |
| Analysis in zones | The value of the test clock at the first deactivation that occurred when the animal was in the zone (or for an investigation zone, while the animal was investigating the zone). |
| Analysis across time | This measure cannot be analysed across time. |
Distance travelled before 1st activation
| Description | Reports the distance the animal had travelled in the apparatus up to the moment the virtual switch was first activated. |
| Calculation method | The accumulated total distance travelled is noted at the time of the first activation. |
| Analysis in zones | This measure cannot be analysed in zones. |
| Analysis across time | This measure cannot be analysed across time. |
Distance travelled while active
| Description | Reports the distance the animal travelled in the apparatus while the virtual switch was active. |
| Calculation method | While virtual switch is active, the distance travelled is accumulated. |
| Analysis in zones | Calculated by summing the distance the animal travelled while in the zone (or, for an investigation zone, while investigating the zone) when the virtual switch was active. |
| Analysis across time | This measure can be analysed across time. For any time period, the result is the distance the animal travelled during the time period while the virtual switch was active. |
Longest activation
| Description | Reports the duration of the longest period for which the virtual switch was continuously active. |
| Calculation method | The duration of each activation is calculated and the largest value is found. |
| Analysis in zones | The longest period for which the virtual switch was continuously active while the animal was in the zone (or for an investigation zone, while the animal was investigating the zone). |
| Analysis across time | This measure can be analysed across time. For any time period, the result is the longest period for which the virtual switch was continuously active during the period. |
Shortest activation
| Description | Reports the duration of the shortest period for which the virtual switch was continuously active. |
| Calculation method | The duration of each activation is calculated and the smallest value is found. |
| Analysis in zones | The shortest period for which the virtual switch was continuously active while the animal was in the zone (or for an investigation zone, while the animal was investigating the zone). |
| Analysis across time | This measure can be analysed across time. For any time period, the result is the shortest period for which the virtual switch was continuously active during the period. |
Average activation duration
| Description | Reports the average duration for which the virtual switch was held active. |
| Analysis in zones | This measure cannot be analysed in zones. |
| Analysis across time | This measure cannot be analysed across time. |
Frequency of activations
| Description | Reports the frequency with which the virtual switch was activated. |
| Analysis in zones | Calculated by dividing the Number of activations in the zone by the Total time in the zone. For an investigation zone, this will be the number of activations while the animal was investigating the zone divided by the total time investigating the zone. |
| Analysis across time | This measure can be analysed across time. For any time period, the result is the Number of activations which occurred during the period divided by the period's duration. |
See also:
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ANY-maze help topic T0385
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