Older ACT-R Software

This page holds information about ACT-R 5.0, as well as the older, deprecated ACT-R 4.0.

ACT-R 5.0

ACT-R 5.0 Source Files

Last updated on April 22, 2004

The source files are available in either a .zip with Windows or Unix line endings, a .sit with Macintosh line endings, or a disk image with Macintosh line endings.

To use them, after unpacking the files, load the file called "+ load-rpm.lisp". That will compile all of the files and load them.

The ACT-R source code is now distributed under the GNU LGPL.

The ACT-R 5.0 sources have been tested with the following Lisps:

MCL up through 5.0
ACL 5.0.1, 6, 6.1, and 6.2 for Windows and Linux (make sure you're using the ANSI version and not the modern one. Otherwise, the models will not run, and if you have the free version of 6.2 it will only run interpreted i.e. very slowly)
LispWorks for Windows and Linux (there is a warning about redefining the macro help, but if you continue past that it's fine)
Clisp (Version 2.3 doesn't seem to work, and I haven't tried 2.31 yet, but version 2.29 and earlier will work with a couple of minor adjustments, so if you want to use it let me know)
CMUCL for Linux
OpenMCL for MacOS X

The ACT-R Environment

The ACT-R Environment is a set of GUI tools for running, inspecting, and debugging ACT-R models. It is used primarily with the tutorial when teaching ACT-R, but has features that can be beneficial to even the veteran ACT-R modeler (some of the new features are things that can't be done from the command line - like the graphic traces).

Environment Manual

Installation information and system requirements for the Environment are available in the manual which is available as a Microsoft Word document, a pdf file, or as html.

Environment Files updated April 22, 2004

Standalone Environment

There is also a standalone version available for Windows and for OSX (10.2 or newer only) which runs without the need of having either Lisp or Tcl/Tk installed.

Both versions now include the April 22, 2004 version of ACT-R

The Windows version was last updated on April 27, 2004

The Mac version was last updated on July 8, 2004

To install it for Windows, after unzipping the files (or extracting them if you're using XP and it shows as a Zipped folder), run the setup.exe program to install it (you'll have to have administrator privledges in NT/2000/XP to run the installer but not the environment itself). After that finishes it's ready to go, and all you need to do is run the "Start Environment" application. If you would like to uninstall it, you should do so from the Control Panel's "Add or Remove Programs" interface.

For the OSX version the only installation necessary is to copy the ACT-R folder from the disk image to the /Applications folder on the local drive and copy the "start ACT-R OSX.term" file from the disk image to any where on the local drive. Then, all you need to do to run the environment is double click that .term file (thanks go to Hedderik van Rijn for that easier startup mechanism).

The OSX version should be a lot more stable now than it used to be because it is now a full OpenMCL running in a terminal window just like one would have with a normally installed OpenMCL instead of the problematic "listener" window in the Tck/Tk. Please let me know of any problems you encounter if you try it.

Tutorial Units

Tutorial units live on the tutorials page.