Millisecond Forums

Running web experiment with control and experimental group

https://forums.millisecond.com/Topic15329.aspx

By Nadine - 1/11/2015

Hello,

I am currently trying to register my first web experiment, and I'm currently encountering a problem/question. I would like the participants in my study to go through a training task, they are supposed to complete the task online on 13 separate days. Each participant is either in the control group or experimental group.

How is it possible to realize this or is it even possible? In the desktop version it is easy to do this with the group ID but in the web version I can only choose between random or sequential (I assume, this means every time someone logs on the get a new group id?) or url query parameter. Of course, I don't want the group IDs to be random since every participant is supposed to keep his or her same ID, and if sequential means what I think it means, I don't want that either. I don't know what url query parameter means, and what I can do with it.

I would really appreciate some help with this, and if there is any other way to realize this than via group ID, I would love to hear it.

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,
Nadine
By Dave - 1/11/2015

The solution is to pass the group id (and possibly the subject id too) in as URL query parameter. See e.g. https://www.millisecond.com/forums/FindPost13899.aspx for an example.
By Saire - 1/14/2015

Hi,

Sorry, just piggy-backing on this one - I think I'm trying to do a similar thing to Nadine and the post linked to has me a bit confused.

I've selected URL query parameter in the configure launch page screen and understand it will give custom links for the groups that I can email out, but I still don't know what to put in for 'Enter the name of the url query parameter that contains the group id' to generate those links, if you see what I mean. 

I have 6 different conditions, with a different selection of iqx scripts run in each condition, which I've specified by a 6-part batch script assigning subjects by group number (can of course provide more detail if that would be helpful). Sorry if I'm missing something obvious!

Thanks

By Dave - 1/14/2015

(1) It will not *give* you different links to mail out. You have to construct those yourself.

(2) You can name the query parameter whatever you want (and that's what you enter). You need to make sure the query parameter name matches the one you give out in your links.

So, you could simply specify the query parameter name "condition" and then construct the following links for your six groups:

http://research.millisecond.com/username/experiment.web?condition=1
http://research.millisecond.com/username/experiment.web?condition=2
http://research.millisecond.com/username/experiment.web?condition=3
http://research.millisecond.com/username/experiment.web?condition=4
http://research.millisecond.com/username/experiment.web?condition=5
http://research.millisecond.com/username/experiment.web?condition=6

By Saire - 1/15/2015

Ah that's clearer - I didn't realise we could just put in 'condition' in that box and then manually create the links. All working now - thanks very much!
By Nadine - 1/18/2015

Thanks, Saire, those were definitely questions I would have encountered today which is the day I can work on the implementation of the control vs. training group.

Also, thank you, Dave, for making it clearer for both of us. I only have one remaining question. Do I have to specify in the batch script that the group assignment is based on the group number then? And does that mean, that if I make links based on condition=1 and condition=2, that condition=1 always leads to the subjects = (1 of 2) part of my batch script and similarly for condition=2? Is just want to make sure I've understood everything correctly before I mail out the links.
By Dave - 1/18/2015

> Do I have to specify in the batch script that the group assignment is based on the group number then?

Yes. As in

<batch>
/ file = "a.iqx"
/ file = "b.iqx"
...
/ subjects = (1 of 2)
/ groupassignment = groupnumber

</batch>

<batch>
/ file = "b.iqx"
/ file = "a.iqx"
...
/ subjects = (2 of 2)
/ groupassignment = groupnumber

</batch>