Brainwash Spiral Task (BST)
This task type generates a spiral imposed over a black screen or an image slideshow, depending on whether the creator has uploaded images, with randomly selected lines of text being displayed word by word. Additional lines known as distractors may appear as either random popups in various locations or as a changing wall of text that spans the entire page.
Brainwash tasks embody the classic media trope in which a subject is brainwashed by being forced to watch a rapid-fire series of images, psychedelic visuals, and/or text-based suggestions.
When the subject has completed the task, they will immediately be returned to the Project Details list.
Creating a Brainwash task entails the configuration of the following options:
Session Lines - An area to enter lines of text that will be displayed to the subject in the center of the screen. Lines are chosen at random, displayed word-by-word until completed, at which point a new line is chosen and begins to display.
Tip: While session lines in Brainwash tasks are chosen at random, making it difficult to curate the experience a subject will have, you can create 'mini-sessions' by entering a single long line containing multiple suggestions. For example, a single line reading, 'This is the first suggestion. This is the second suggestion. This is the third suggestion.' This way the subject receives the suggestions in the desired order before the task selects another line to begin displaying.
Number of Lines to Iterate Over - The amount of times a line must be iterated over to reach the end of the session. This setting defines how long the session lasts. Which line is used as the counter is randomly selected when the session begins, meaning the length of each instance of a given session is likely to vary.
Tip: Bear in mind that the longer your list of session lines becomes, the more that this number will impact the length of the session. A session with 100 session lines is generally going to take significantly longer than one with 50 session lines, even if both have an iteration count of 20.
Distractors Lines - Lines of text that by default will be displayed in random locations on the screen. These are used to both distract the subject by pulling their attention from the session lines, but also to provide additional suggestions and reinforcement in the subject's peripheral vision while they are staring at the screen's center. Distractors are great at reinforcing core concepts and themes within a session
Tip: Try to keep these to single words or short phrases. While they can have other creative uses, such as making a session entirely out of distractor lines, when used in combination with session lines short distractors tend to be the most effective.
Distractor Line Mode: Text Wall - A box to enable the text wall mode, converting distractors into a text wall that cycles through randomly selected distractor lines.
Images - From here you can upload images from local storage for use in the session. Uploaded images will be randomly selected for display in the session's slideshow.
*Tip: Which images to include depends on the type of vibe you want for your session. A small handful of images tightly centered around the session's theme can help a session feel curated, focused, and well-defined. Conversely, a large selection of images can help a session continue to feel fresh and content-rich, even after it's been viewed many times.
Import/Export JSON - Found at the top of the Session Settings page, this option can be used to locally save a session, or import/export it from/to another project. It has additional functionality in that, while individual lines in Brainwash, Mantra, and Story tasks can not be edited from the main Session Settings screen, the Import/Export JSON view contains a list of fully editable session lines, distractor lines, and more. Once any edits have been completed, select Update JSON, then Close, and then Save the Session Settings to finalize the changes.
When you've finished configuring the task, select Save to finalize the changes.