Millisecond Forums » Millisecond Forums » Inquisit 5 » Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 12:32:05 GMT

Hello everyone!

I find myself in need of some help designing an experiment in Inquisit 5, and I was hoping I can get the necessary feedback here. Keep in mind, I am a complete newbie to Inquisit. Basically, I am running a linguistic experiment where the participants are faced with contexts (3-4 sentence texts) and a target sentence, and they have to indicate on a 7-point Likert scale how natural the sentence sounds in that context. The two contexts are necessary because they are meant to prime different interpretations of the same sentence. What I would like to do is to code the experiment in such a way that every participant sees every target item only once, but whether a participant sees any given target item paired with context 1 or context 2 is random. I also do not know how to ensure that a participants sees an equal number of "context 1-s" and "context 2-s".

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 12:32:05 GMT

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

It mostly seems to work, however, if I set it up like this (with a separate block for fillers and their respective contexts - I realized every filler only has a single context), the branch does not seem to work correctly. What it does is select normal target items even for the filler trials. What may be the reason for this?

[/quote]

Why would you set up your fillers as a *block* if you want a filler presented after each target *trial*? That doesn't make sense.

> What it does is select normal target items even for the filler trials. What may be the reason for this?

a) I cannot answer this without seeing your actual code.
b) You need to set up *separate* <text>, <item>, etc. elements for your filler items and have your filler trials display those. You can't use the existing *target* text elements for this.

[/quote]

I'll post the basic makeup of my code without the actual sentences, as those are in Hungarian anyway:

*********************************
survey quesitons
*********************************
<textbox q1>
/caption = "Jelige"
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
</textbox>

<textbox q2>
/caption = "Életkor"
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
</textbox>

<radiobuttons q3>
/ caption = "Magyar anyanyelvű vagyok."
/ options = ("Nem", "Igen")
/ optionvalues = ("nem", "igen")
/ orientation = horizontal
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
</radiobuttons>

<radiobuttons q4>
/caption = "A szüleim is mindketten magyar anyanyelvűek."
/options = ("Nem", "Igen")
/ optionvalues = ("nem", "igen")
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
/orientation = horizontal
</radiobuttons>

*********************************
survey page
*********************************

<surveypage survey>
/caption = "Adatok"
/ questions=[1=q1; 2=q2; 3=q3; 4=q4;]
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
/ showquestionnumbers = false
/ showpagenumbers = false
/ showbackbutton=false
/ finishlabel = "Tovább"
</surveypage>

*********************************
TARGET STIMULI
*********************************

<text target>
/ items = target_items
/position = (50%, 35%)
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
/ txbgcolor = (255, 255, 255)
/ size = (100%, 5%)
/ erase = true(255, 255, 255)
</text>

<item target_items>
......

</item>

<text context_a>
/ items = context_a_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.target.currentindex
</text>

<item context_a_items>
.........
</item>

<text context_b>
/ items = context_b_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.target.currentindex
</text>

<item context_b_items>
.............
</item>

<text filler>
/ items = target_items
/position = (50%, 35%)
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
/ txbgcolor = (255, 255, 255)
/ size = (100%, 5%)
/ erase = true(255, 255, 255)
</text>

<item filler_items>
.............
</item>

<text context_filler>
/ items = context_a_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.filler.currentindex
</text>

<item context_filler_items>
...........
</item>

<likert ca>
/ stimulusframes = [1=target, context_a]
/ anchors = [1="rossz", 7="tökéletes"]
/ numpoints = 7
/ anchorwidth = 4%
/ position = (50%, 75%)
/ branch = [likert.filler]
</likert>

<likert cb>
/ stimulusframes = [1=target, context_b]
/ anchors = [1="rossz", 7="tökéletes"]
/ numpoints = 7
/ anchorwidth = 4%
/ position = (50%, 75%)
/branch = [likert.filler]
</likert>

<likert filler>
/ stimulusframes = [1=filler, context_filler]
/ anchors = [1="unnatural", 7="natural"]
/ numpoints = 7
/ anchorwidth = 4%
/ position = (50%, 75%)
</likert>

*********************************
training
*********************************

*********************************
TRIALS
*********************************

*********************************
PROBAK TRIALS
********************************

*********************************
INSTRUCTIONS
*********************************

<page intro>

</page>

<page desc1>

</page>

<page end>

</page>

<page bev>

</page>

<page veg>

</page>

<instruct>
/ inputdevice = mouse
/ prevlabel = "Vissza"
/ nextlabel = "Tovább"
/ lastlabel = "Tovább"g/color = (181, 181, 181)
/ windowsize = (1024, 768)
/ screencolor = (245, 245, 245)
</instruct>

*********************************
BLOCKS
*********************************
<survey survey>
/pages = [1 = survey]
</survey>

<block ratingblock>
/ trials = [1-16 = noreplace(ca,cb)]
</block>

*********************************
EXPERIMENT
*********************************

<expt>
/ blocks = [1=survey; 2=ratingblock]
/ postinstructions = (end)
</expt>

*********************************
DATA
*********************************

<data>
/columns = [date, time, subject, blockcode, trialcode, trialnum, latency, stimulusitem, stimulusnumber, response]
/format=tab
</data>

<defaults>
/ screencolor = (255, 255, 255)
/ fontstyle = ("Courier New", 14pt)
/ inputdevice = mouse
</defaults>

That's what it looks like. So what happens is that the code switches to the likert filler part on every second stimulus (I know this, because I left the filler likert radio buttons language on english, so I can see whether it works), but what actually gets displayed is the target items. So with 16 items, all 16 items get displayed twice, which is obviously not what I want to do.

[/quote]

<text filler>
/ items = target_items
/position = (50%, 35%)
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
/ txbgcolor = (255, 255, 255)
/ size = (100%, 5%)
/ erase = true(255, 255, 255)
</text>

Why is your filler element presenting target items? I'm pretty sure this ought to read

<text filler>
/ items = filler_items
/position = (50%, 35%)
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%, true)
/ txbgcolor = (255, 255, 255)
/ size = (100%, 5%)
/ erase = true(255, 255, 255)
</text>

Similarly, why is your filler context element displaying experimental context items?

<text context_filler>
/ items = context_a_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.filler.currentindex
</text>

It would seem this should actually read

<text context_filler>
/ items = context_filler_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.filler.currentindex
</text>

[/quote]

Thanks, that solved it! I copied the other text elements, and did not notice that those parts actually had to be changed. A trivial mistake, it would seem. You were a great help!

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

Dave — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 11:44:51 GMT

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 10:46:05 GMT

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

Dave — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 10:11:04 GMT

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 09:54:32 GMT

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 09:52:28 GMT

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

This should be pretty straightforward to do, the basic setup goes like this:

<text sentence>
/ items = sentence_items
</text>

<item sentence_items>
/ 1 = "Sentence 1"
/ 2 = "Sentence 2"
/ 3 = "Sentence 3"
/ 4 = "Sentence 4"
</item>

<text context_a>
/ items = context_a_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.sentence.currentindex
</text>

<item context_a_items>
/ 1 = "Sentence 1, Context A"
/ 2 = "Sentence 2, Context A"
/ 3 = "Sentence 3, Context A"
/ 4 = "Sentence 4, Context A"
</item>

<text context_b>
/ items = context_b_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.sentence.currentindex
</text>

<item context_b_items>
/ 1 = "Sentence 1, Context B"
/ 2 = "Sentence 2, Context B"
/ 3 = "Sentence 3, Context B"
/ 4 = "Sentence 4, Context B"
</item>

<likert ca>
/ stimulusframes = [1=sentence, context_a]
/ anchors = [1="unnatural", 7="natural"]
/ numpoints = 7
/ anchorwidth = 4%
/ position = (50%, 75%)
</likert>

<likert cb>
/ stimulusframes = [1=sentence, context_b]
/ anchors = [1="unnatural", 7="natural"]
/ numpoints = 7
/ anchorwidth = 4%
/ position = (50%, 75%)
</likert>

<block ratingblock>
/ trials = [1-4 = noreplace(ca,cb)]
</block>

[/quote]

Thanks, very much appreciated!

Since I am a newbie, could you elaborate in a few sentences what exactly the trials block does, and how it ensures that every item is seen by every participant, although with a random context?

Thanks again!

[/quote]

The sentence <text> elements samples from its (here: 4) items without replacement. That ensures each sentence is sample exactly once across the 4 trials in the example.

<text sentence>
/ items = sentence_items
</text>

The context A and context B stimuli

<text context_a>
/ items = context_a_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.sentence.currentindex
</text>

<text context_b>
/ items = context_b_items
/ position = (50%, 25%)
/ select = text.sentence.currentindex
</text>

are set to select the item *corresponding* to the item selected by the sentence <text> element. I.e. they are paired to it, cf. https://www.millisecond.com/support/docs/v5/html/howto/howtopairs.htm

The block runs exactly two "context A" (ca) and two "context B" (cb) trials, i.e. four trials total, sampling ca and cb in equal proportions.

<block ratingblock>
/ trials = [1-4 = noreplace(ca,cb)]
</block>

With your four sentences sampled without replacement, you get two sentences presented with context A, and the other two presented with context B.

[/quote]

Sorry for the double post, my last post only displays the code snippet. So:

Thanks for the response, it makes perfect sense. I have just one more question: I also have filler items in addition to the actual targets. I would like to display my stimuli in such a way that no participant sees two targets or two fillers in succession, so the stimuli are sort of interlaced. I guess I have to do a separare item block for fillers, and pair the contexts the same way, but I'm not sure how to code the ordering of fillers and targets into the "noreplace(ca, cb)" part.

Thanks for your help!

[/quote]

I think it's easiest if you simply leave

<block ratingblock>
/ trials = [1-4 = noreplace(ca,cb)]
</block>

as is, and instead /branch to a filler-trial after each target trial, i.e.

<likert filler>
/ stimulusframes = [1=fillersentence, fillercontext]
/ anchors = [1="unnatural", 7="natural"]
/ numpoints = 7
/ anchorwidth = 4%
/ position = (50%, 75%)
</likert>

with

<likert ca>
/ stimulusframes = [1=sentence, context_a]
/ anchors = [1="unnatural", 7="natural"]
/ numpoints = 7
/ anchorwidth = 4%
/ position = (50%, 75%)
/ branch = [likert.filler]
</likert>

<likert cb>
/ stimulusframes = [1=sentence, context_b]
/ anchors = [1="unnatural", 7="natural"]
/ numpoints = 7
/ anchorwidth = 4%
/ position = (50%, 75%)
/ branch = [likert.filler]
</likert>

That way, you'll get a filler after each target trial, be it ca or cb,

[/quote]

Oh, just one more thing: Does this branching structure also ensure that the filler sentences are also paired with their respective context 1-s and context 2-s randomly?

[/quote]

The /branch runs a filler trial after each target (ca or cb) trial -- it's not a block. This has nothing to do with any pairing of filler items. If you need such pairing, you need to set that up in the same way the context A and context B pairings are set up

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

Dave — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 09:14:20 GMT

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

Oh, just one more thing: Does this branching structure also ensure that the filler sentences are also paired with their respective context 1-s and context 2-s randomly?

[/quote]

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 09:07:45 GMT

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

Oh, just one more thing: Does this branching structure also ensure that the filler sentences are also paired with their respective context 1-s and context 2-s randomly?

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 09:05:42 GMT

[quote]

[b]Dave - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

Thanks again! So the "branch = [likert.filler] part unconditionally executes the filler trial block every time one of the target trial blocks are run? It seems easy enough to implement, I'll try this and report back.

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

Dave — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 06:57:11 GMT

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Friday, February 8, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 01:11:57 GMT

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 01:08:23 GMT

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

/ trials = [1-4 = noreplace(ca,cb)]" part.

Thanks!

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

Dave — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 10:44:49 GMT

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

BaaaaL — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 09:52:10 GMT

[quote]

[b]Dave - Thursday, February 7, 2019[/b]

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]

RE: Experiment help needed: Multiple contexts for one experimental item

Dave — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 07:24:28 GMT

[quote]

[b]BaaaaL - Wednesday, February 6, 2019[/b]

[/quote]