Millisecond Forums

Surveypage records latency for each response when data columns does not include latency

https://forums.millisecond.com/Topic18856.aspx

By jeff.smith - 4/8/2016

The data file includes latency even though I do not have latency as data to be recorded using columns in surveypages. Other scripts, such as trials, do not have this issue. Each survey question has a corresponding latency column. How can this be removed at the level of data recording in Inquisit? (Aside from manually deleting columns after in Inquisit/SPSS/Excel). The data from surveypages also includes the build # which I do not want, and again is not an issue for other types of scripts.

My script includes:

<data>
/columns = [date time group subject response]
</data>

<survey demographics>
/ pages = [1=demographics]
/ responsefontstyle = ("Times New Roman", -18, false, false, false, false, 5, 0)
/ itemfontstyle = ("Times New Roman", -20, false, false, false, false, 5, 0)
/ itemspacing = 2%
/ showpagenumbers = false
</survey>

<surveypage demographics>
/ caption = "Please answer the following demographic questions:"
/ fontstyle = ("Times New Roman", -20, true, false, false, false, 5, 0)
/ questions = [1=Sex; 2=JobTitle; 3=EmploymentStatus; 4=DirectCare; 5=YearsWorked]
</surveypage>
By Dave - 4/8/2016

That's by design and intended: The <data> element does not apply to <survey>s. You'll notice that the data format produced by <survey> is fundamentally different than the data format produced by <block>s.

A survey produces a file in "wide" format -- a single row per subject, with pages / questions being the columns. Survey data output cannot be customized.

Blocks produce data in "long" format -- multiple lines per subject, each line representing a single trial, the columns being those defined by the script's <data> element.

If you run your <surveypage> (a special type of <trial>) via a regular <block>, you will see that the <data> element applies as specified:

<data>
/columns = [date time group subject response]
</data>

<block demographicsblock>
/ trials = [1 = demographics]
</block>

<surveypage demographics>
/ caption = "Please answer the following demographic questions:"
/ fontstyle = ("Times New Roman", -20, true, false, false, false, 5, 0)
/ responsefontstyle = ("Times New Roman", -18, false, false, false, false, 5, 0)
/ itemfontstyle = ("Times New Roman", -20, false, false, false, false, 5, 0)
/ itemspacing = 2%
/ showpagenumbers = false
/ questions = [1=Sex; 2=JobTitle; 3=EmploymentStatus; 4=DirectCare; 5=YearsWorked]
</surveypage>
By jeff.smith - 4/11/2016

Great! 

The only downside it seems is that you lose the ability to include a 'back button'.

Jeff