ANY-maze Help > The ANY-maze reference > The Tests page > Running tests > Running a test > Running tests which include an accustomisation period

Running tests which include an accustomisation period

Introduction

In some experiments you might place the animal in the apparatus for a while, before you actually want to start the test (or at least before you want to start tracking). For example, in the water-maze you might place the animal on the island for 20 seconds before its first training trial so it knows that there's actually an island there. In ANY-maze this is called an accustomisation period.

You might think that including an accustomisation period before a test would make no difference to ANY-maze as you don't actually want to track the animal; however, going directly from accustomisation to tracking can confuse the tracking system at the start of the test and may cause it to take longer to 'lock-on' to the animal. For this reason you need to tell ANY-maze if your experiment will include an accustomisation period which you do as part of the protocol - see Including an accustomisation period in a stage for details. In fact, there's a side benefit - ANY-maze will time the accustomisation period for you.

Details

Starting an accustomisation period

Starting an accustomisation period is just like starting a test - if you're using auto-start then:

2.

Click the button or press the test control key (or close the test control switch) - the test status will change to Waiting to start...

5.

In the unlikely event that accustomisation period doesn't start automatically, click the button or press the test control key (or close the test control switch)

If you're not using auto-start:

3.

Quickly return to the computer and click the button or press the test control key (or close the test control switch) - the accustomisation period will start

Cancelling an accustomisation period or ending it prematurely

If you want to cancel an accustomisation period (and set the test back to the Ready... status) simply click the button.

If you want to end an accustomisation period prematurely (i.e. before the full time specified in the protocol) then press the test control key or close the test control switch - the effect will be as if the accustomisation period had ended.

What happens when an accustomisation period ends

There are two possibilities for what happens when an accustomisation period ends, either the test will start immediately (without any intervention from you), or the test will go to the Waiting to start... status and you'll need to explicitly start the test.  Which of these occurs is defined in the protocol - see Including an accustomisation period in a stage for details.

Clearly, in the first case (where the test automatically starts) there's nothing for you to do, but in the second case you need to start the test yourself. In fact the most common reason for specifying that you need to start the test is because you want to move the animal in the apparatus before starting to track it. For example, if you've placed the animal on an island in the water-maze during the accustomisation period, then you will, of course, want to move it off the island before you actually start testing it!

Starting a test following an accustomisation period

As you'd probably expect, starting the test following accustomisation is much like starting it in normal circumstances - if you're using auto-start:

4.

In the unlikely event that accustomisation period doesn't start automatically, click the button or press the test control key (or close the test control switch)

5.

If you don't need to move the animal then just click the button or press the test control key (or close the test control switch)

If you're not using auto-start:

2.

Quickly return to the computer and click the button or press the test control key (or close the test control switch) - the accustomisation period will start

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ANY-maze help topic T0811