Analysing decisions with the LATER model: an open-source tool

Reaction time experiments are used to measure the brain's decision-making processes. Cambridge neurophysiologist Professor Roger Carpenter developed a simple but influential model for decision-making called LATER (Linear Approach to Threshold with Ergodic Rate). Scientists and clinicians use LATER to model and visualise a range of lab and clinical reaction time datasets.

Key to the usability of LATER is a user-friendly software package, meaning users do not need to have programming skills. However, following the death of Professor Carpenter, this software is no longer available. This makes the LATER model inaccessible to scientists without experience in writing analytical software from scratch.

This project will create an open-source analysis tool that would allow scientists and clinicians to analyse and visualise their data using LATER, without the need for programming skills.

MDAP collaborators will contribute data analytic and programming skills to create and test a robust open-source toolkit – most likely in the R programming language commonly used for statistical computing – making use of modern data analytics methods.

Main project aims:

• Create an open-source and customisable tool.
• Develop a user toolkit for analysing reaction time data using the LATER model.
• Allow data fitting of the LATER model using maximum likelihood methods.
• Publish results in scientific literature describing the tool and how it has been modernised to make use of modern fitting procedures. This would include data-driven examples demonstrating the tool's use.