Millisecond Forums » Millisecond Forums » Inquisit 6 » Timing issue

Timing issue

k.vanschie@tilburguniversity.edu — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:29:40 GMT

Hey all,

I have a bit of code and I am not sure I'm understanding it correctly. I am basing my experiment on someone else's work, so am slowly figuring out how it works. Find the relevant code below (and my questions underneath that).

<text Intrusion>
/ items = ("How often did you think about the scene?
 <center> NEVER ---- BRIEFLY ---- OFTEN
 <center> (1) ----------- (2) ----------- (3) "
 )
/ position=(50%, 50%)
/ color = white
/ txbgcolor = white
/ txcolor = black
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%)
</text>

<trial Intrusion>
/ stimulustimes = [1=Intrusion]
/ trialduration = 2500
/ inputdevice=keyboard
/ correctresponse=("1","2","3")
/ recorddata = true // check response given before 2000 ms and if present blank screen
if (trial.Intrusion.responselatency > 0 && trial.Intrusion.responselatency < trial.Intrusion.trialduration)
screencolor = "black"
endif
/ posttrialpause = (500)
</trial>

Questions:
- Am I correct in interpreting that the trial is always 2500ms, but if there is a response the screen goes blank (e.g. if the response is given after 1000ms, then the trial lasts another 1500ms but with a blank screen, followed by 500ms trial pause). In the data file I see that the latency is 2000ms when there is no response (and when there is a response the reaction time simply is logged). Trial duration is always logged as 2500ms.
- Does this mean that a trial is always 3000ms (2500 intrusion + 500 posttrialpause) regardless of how quickly someone responds (within the intrusion trial)?
- I don't follow why the recorddata element somehow checks if a response is given before 2000ms (because it simply seems to be a programmer's note). It is not defined anywhere in the script. Is this maybe an Inquisit default setting?
- There is a screencolor black element in the if code, but that does not seem to be called upon (not that I want it to do that), but I simply wondered if I could remove it without 'breaking' anything'.
- Finally, the 'if' element is presented in bold and purple, but the endif is not. Is this an issue?

Thanks for any help in advance!

Kevin

RE: Timing issue

k.vanschie@tilburguniversity.edu — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:29:40 GMT

+x[quote]

[b]Dave - 10/6/2025[/b]
+x[quote]

[b]k.vanschie@tilburguniversity.edu - 10/6/2025[/b]
Hey all,

I have a bit of code and I am not sure I'm understanding it correctly. I am basing my experiment on someone else's work, so am slowly figuring out how it works. Find the relevant code below (and my questions underneath that).

<text Intrusion>
/ items = ("How often did you think about the scene?
 <center> NEVER ---- BRIEFLY ---- OFTEN
 <center> (1) ----------- (2) ----------- (3) "
 )
/ position=(50%, 50%)
/ color = white
/ txbgcolor = white
/ txcolor = black
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%)
</text>

<trial Intrusion>
/ stimulustimes = [1=Intrusion]
/ trialduration = 2500
/ inputdevice=keyboard
/ correctresponse=("1","2","3")
/ recorddata = true // check response given before 2000 ms and if present blank screen
if (trial.Intrusion.responselatency > 0 && trial.Intrusion.responselatency < trial.Intrusion.trialduration)
screencolor = "black"
endif
/ posttrialpause = (500)
</trial>

Questions:
- Am I correct in interpreting that the trial is always 2500ms, but if there is a response the screen goes blank (e.g. if the response is given after 1000ms, then the trial lasts another 1500ms but with a blank screen, followed by 500ms trial pause). In the data file I see that the latency is 2000ms when there is no response (and when there is a response the reaction time simply is logged). Trial duration is always logged as 2500ms.
- Does this mean that a trial is always 3000ms (2500 intrusion + 500 posttrialpause) regardless of how quickly someone responds (within the intrusion trial)?
- I don't follow why the recorddata element somehow checks if a response is given before 2000ms (because it simply seems to be a programmer's note). It is not defined anywhere in the script. Is this maybe an Inquisit default setting?
- There is a screencolor black element in the if code, but that does not seem to be called upon (not that I want it to do that), but I simply wondered if I could remove it without 'breaking' anything'.
- Finally, the 'if' element is presented in bold and purple, but the endif is not. Is this an issue?

Thanks for any help in advance!

Kevin
[/quote]

Generally see https://www.millisecond.com/support/docs/v6/html/howto/howtocontroltiming.htm
Re. (1): /trialduration defines fixed duration, it encompasses /posttrialpause. That is: There is a max. 2000ms response window, since /posttrialpause is 500. If a response occurs before 2000ms, then the posttrialpause is longer. Suppose response occurs at 1000ms, then the posttrialpause is 1500.
Re. (2): No, the trial is always 2500ms.
Re. (3): Explained under (1).
Re. (4): The language has no screencolor element, so I'm not sure what you are referring to. /screencolor exists as an attribute for various elements (<defaults>, <block>): https://www.millisecond.com/support/docs/v6/html/language/attributes/screencolor.htm
Re.(5): There is no endif in Inquisit syntax, that is why it's not colored. I canot tell you why the original author put it there.

You may benefit from working through the Programmer's Manual, which should aid your understanding of the code.
https://www.millisecond.com/support/Inquisit%20Programmer's%20Manual.pdf
[/quote]

Hi Dave, thanks for explaining! That makes a lot more sense!

RE: Timing issue

Dave — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 11:48:39 GMT

+x[quote]

[b]k.vanschie@tilburguniversity.edu - 10/6/2025[/b]
Hey all,

I have a bit of code and I am not sure I'm understanding it correctly. I am basing my experiment on someone else's work, so am slowly figuring out how it works. Find the relevant code below (and my questions underneath that).

<text Intrusion>
/ items = ("How often did you think about the scene?
 <center> NEVER ---- BRIEFLY ---- OFTEN
 <center> (1) ----------- (2) ----------- (3) "
 )
/ position=(50%, 50%)
/ color = white
/ txbgcolor = white
/ txcolor = black
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 3%)
</text>

<trial Intrusion>
/ stimulustimes = [1=Intrusion]
/ trialduration = 2500
/ inputdevice=keyboard
/ correctresponse=("1","2","3")
/ recorddata = true // check response given before 2000 ms and if present blank screen
if (trial.Intrusion.responselatency > 0 && trial.Intrusion.responselatency < trial.Intrusion.trialduration)
screencolor = "black"
endif
/ posttrialpause = (500)
</trial>

Questions:
- Am I correct in interpreting that the trial is always 2500ms, but if there is a response the screen goes blank (e.g. if the response is given after 1000ms, then the trial lasts another 1500ms but with a blank screen, followed by 500ms trial pause). In the data file I see that the latency is 2000ms when there is no response (and when there is a response the reaction time simply is logged). Trial duration is always logged as 2500ms.
- Does this mean that a trial is always 3000ms (2500 intrusion + 500 posttrialpause) regardless of how quickly someone responds (within the intrusion trial)?
- I don't follow why the recorddata element somehow checks if a response is given before 2000ms (because it simply seems to be a programmer's note). It is not defined anywhere in the script. Is this maybe an Inquisit default setting?
- There is a screencolor black element in the if code, but that does not seem to be called upon (not that I want it to do that), but I simply wondered if I could remove it without 'breaking' anything'.
- Finally, the 'if' element is presented in bold and purple, but the endif is not. Is this an issue?

Thanks for any help in advance!

Kevin
[/quote]

Generally see https://www.millisecond.com/support/docs/v6/html/howto/howtocontroltiming.htm
Re. (1): /trialduration defines fixed duration, it encompasses /posttrialpause. That is: There is a max. 2000ms response window, since /posttrialpause is 500. If a response occurs before 2000ms, then the posttrialpause is longer. Suppose response occurs at 1000ms, then the posttrialpause is 1500.
Re. (2): No, the trial is always 2500ms.
Re. (3): Explained under (1).
Re. (4): The language has no screencolor element, so I'm not sure what you are referring to. /screencolor exists as an attribute for various elements (<defaults>, <block>): https://www.millisecond.com/support/docs/v6/html/language/attributes/screencolor.htm
Re.(5): There is no endif in Inquisit syntax, that is why it's not colored. I canot tell you why the original author put it there.

You may benefit from working through the Programmer's Manual, which should aid your understanding of the code.
https://www.millisecond.com/support/Inquisit%20Programmer's%20Manual.pdf