Software-based visual psychophysics using the Commodore Amiga with Deluxe Paint III

Often it is useful to produce visual displays that allow for pilot testing of experimental hypotheses, which let the experimenter examine effects reported by others, or which can be used for at least some serious experimentation (e.g., decrement in visual illusions with practice). The combination of the Amiga computer and Deluxe Paint III software is ideal for this purpose. The ease with which graphic displays can be produced, coupled with the new animation facility in the software, enables method-of-adjustment psychophysical experiments to be produced in a very short time. Worked examples are given, and the relative merits and shortcomings of the Amiga computer for these purposes are discussed.