EXPLAN--a programming language for complex visual stimuli presentation

Visual cognition research requires the flexible use of structured spatial patterns, characterized by various space and time parameters, which may be administered as visual stimuli. Dealing with this kind of study, we developed a special-purpose programming language and implemented a compiler to build executable programs. The language allows the presentation of stimuli, their space coordinates, persistency values, sequence, kinematic parameters, space-time proximity with other visual stimuli, determination of their modification according to external interaction, generation of subliminal stimuli, monitoring of different subject reactions, automatic reporting of stimulus presentation, and reaction monitoring. Such a language has been successfully utilized in a visual perception research.