Millisecond Forums

HELP!! IAT with mixed pictures and text?

https://forums.millisecond.com/Topic12231.aspx

By katek - 1/31/2014

Hi,

I am new to Inquisit and so I have been trying to create a script by changing some of the sample scripts to fit my experiment instead of starting from scratch. However there is not a script that is quite like what I am trying to do and I keep getting error messages.

Here is what I am trying to do:
I want an IAT with two attributes and two targets, both with mixed picture and text stimuli. The issue seems to be with creating targets with both picture and text stimuli, I haven't seen any samples with this in them. 

Here is some of the script for the stimuli:
<item attributeAlabel>
/1 = "Democrats"
</item>

<item attributeAText>
/1 = "Liberal"
/2 = "Left Wing"
/3 = "Democrat"
</item>

<item attributeAPictures>
/1 = "dem-donkey.gif"
</item>

<item attributeBlabel>
/1 = "Republicans"
</item>

<item attributeBText>
/1 = "Conservative"
/2 = "Right Wing"
/3 = "Republican"
</item>

<item attributeBPictures>
/1= "rep-elephant.gif"
</item>

<item targetAlabel>
/1 = "American"
</item>

<item targetAText>
/ 1 = "USA"
/ 2 = "America"
</item>

<item targetAPictures>
/ 1 = "us-flag.jpg"
/ 2 = "us-map.jpg"
</item>

<item targetBlabel>
/1 = "Foreign"
</item>

<item targetBText>
/ 1 = "UK"
/ 2 = "Foreign"
</item>

<item targetBPictures>
/ 1 = "fo-flag.gif"
/ 2 = "fo-map.png"
</item>

Here are the error messages I have been getting:
text.targetAText items Could not locate item 'targetA'.
text.targetBText items Could not locate item 'targetA'.
trial.targetAleft stimulusframes Could not locate element 'targetA'. 

I have tried editing some of the script in the trials and blocks, I feel like it is somewhere in there that I need to change some more stuff. 

Does anyone with some more experience with inquisit have some ideas on what I am doing wrong/what I need to do to allow it let me have two targets with mixed picture and text stimuli? 

Thanks so much for your help!! It is greatly appreciated!!

Kate
By Dave - 1/31/2014

#1: The easiest solution from a scripting standpoint is to simply use pictures displaying your "text" stimuli (see the attached JPG).

#2: If you don't want that, see the "Single Target Picture and Text IAT" script available at https://www.millisecond.com/download/library/IAT/ as an example of how to mix <picture> and <text> stimuli.
By katek - 2/5/2014

Thanks for your response. However, I have been basing my script off of the Single Target Picture and Text IAT and still having issues. I think the trouble comes up when I try to differentiate the targets into picture and text stimuli. I have two attributes and two targets and both the attributes and the targets have picture and text stimuli. Do you know of any scripts that already have this? I can't seem to find one and I haven't been able to correctly edit one without getting error messages when I try to run it after changing things. Thanks!
By Dave - 2/5/2014

Why don't you simply go for option #1 outlined in my previous reply? There is virtually no programming / major editing necessary in this case.

I cannot say anything useful as to the errors you are getting since you have neither shared your script nor the error messages encountered. However, the script I referred you to, should provide sufficient guidance. There is no significant difference between a single-target and a "regular" IAT. In both cases, if you want to "mix" stimuli (text and pictures), you need to set up separate elements -- <picture> elements for the picture targets or attributes, <text> elements for the text targets and attributes, etc.