Millisecond Forums

> Now I am trying to find a way to alternate the colors of the items' background in the measures under <survey demographics> in a way that makes it easier for participants distinguish the items from one another. Do you know if it is possible to do that?

It is not possible.

> Also, do you know if it is possible to set the sliders' answers in a way that the answer is only accepted if the person clicks on a different part of the slider first (the cursor is always set in the middle).

Set /required=true in the <slider> elements.

<slider exampleslider>
/ caption = "Can't move on unless you move it first."
/ range = (1,5)
/ required = true
</slider>

<surveypage examplepage>
/ questions = [1=exampleslider]
</surveypage>

<survey mysurvey>
/ pages = [1=examplepage]
</survey>


> or if is there is a way to set the sliders to be presented with no answer at all ?

No, there is no way to have sliders not display an answer at all.

Thanks, Dave. I have been studying it. 

Now I am trying to find a way to alternate the colors of the items' background in the measures under <survey demographics> in a way that makes it easier for participants distinguish the items from one another. Do you know if it is possible to do that?
Also, do you know if it is possible to set the sliders' answers in a way that the answer is only accepted if the person clicks on a different part of the slider first (the cursor is always set in the middle) or if is there is a way to set the sliders to be presented with no answer at all ? The way the options are being presented now the cursor is always presented in the middle and I think it might be that some participants do not change it and just move forward, resulting in a bias in the answers.

Please study the attached script carefully until you understand what it does and how it works.

Re. 1)

Display the elements you wish to display via the relevant trials' /stimulusframes.

<trial direito>
/ validresponse = ("E", "I")
/ correctresponse = ("I")
/ stimulusframes = [1 = direito, direitobg, ladodireito, esquerdobg, ladoesquerdo]
/ posttrialpause = 250
/timeout = 1000
</trial>

and same for <trial esquerdo>. This is elementary stuff, so -- again -- please take the time and work through the tutorials again. You are going to save yourself a lot of headaches.

2) This too is elementary. /branch to a trial that displays the balance after the choice trials (direito and esquerdo).

3) You can't have participants click on something, you're using the keyboard as inputdevice. Define a third valid response in trial direito and trial esquerdo, and /branch to a trial that does not time out and displays the dot pattern if that third response occurs.

Dave,

By implementing the chages you suggested, I got rid of the error messages. However, there are some other issues to fix. 

1) I need a left and a right button to be shown on each screen just below each picture (just as a matter of illustration, for participants will answer by using the keybord keys). I was able to do it in the previous scripts, but it is not working anymore somehow.
The elements related to the exhibition of the right button are text ladodireito and shape direitobg. The elements related to the left button are text ladoesquerdo and shape esquerdobg.

2) I need that the current balance be shown after ech picture, so that the participant be able to follow his or her performance after each answer given.  

3) I need participants to be able to click on something or press a key and freeze the exhibition of the images for as long as they want to, if they want to.

Can you help me with that?

#1:

<picture dot>
/ items = ("imgesquerdo", "imgdireito")
/ erase = true(0,128,128)
/ size = (65%, 65%)
/ position = (50%, 45%)
</picture>

As I've already explained, this does not work.  You need separate <picture> elements.

<picture dot_esquerdo>
/ items = imgesquerdo
/ erase = true(0,128,128)
/ size = (65%, 65%)
/ position = (50%, 45%)
</picture>

<picture dot_direito>
/ items = imgdireito
/ erase = true(0,128,128)
/ size = (65%, 65%)
/ position = (50%, 45%)
</picture>

<item imgesquerdo>
/ 1 = "image01.jpg"
/ 2 = "image03.jpg"
/ 3 = "image05.jpg"
/ 4 = "image07.jpg"
/ 5 = "image09.jpg"
/ 6 = "image11.jpg"
/ 7 = "image13.jpg"
/ 8 = "image15.jpg"
/ 9 = "image17.jpg"
/ 10 = "image19.jpg"
</item>

<item imgdireito>
/ 1 = "image02.jpg"
/ 2 = "image04.jpg"
/ 3 = "image06.jpg"
/ 4 = "image08.jpg"
/ 5 = "image10.jpg"
/ 6 = "image12.jpg"
/ 7 = "image14.jpg"
/ 8 = "image16.jpg"
/ 9 = "image18.jpg"
/ 10 = "image20.jpg"
</item>

#2: You've set the script's default input device to "mouse":

<defaults>
/minimumversion = "4.0.2.0"
/ inputdevice = mouse
/ fontstyle = ("Arial", 2.5%, false)
/ screencolor = (0,128,128)
/ txcolor = (white)
/ txbgcolor = (0,128,128)
</defaults>

"E" and "I" are not something a mouse does.

<trial esquerdo>
/ validresponse = ("E", "I")
/ correctresponse = ("E")
...
</trial>

Specify the proper /inputdevice either in <defaults> or in the <trial>.

#3: An <item> element is not a stimulus. It merely lists items, as the name suggests.

<trial esquerdo>
/ validresponse = ("E", "I")
/ correctresponse = ("E")
/ stimulusframes = [1 = imgesquerdo]
/ posttrialpause = 250
/timeout = 1000
</trial>

You need to specify the *stimulus* element you want to display, i.e, the relevant <picture element>, see #1.

<trial esquerdo>
/ validresponse = ("E", "I")
/ correctresponse = ("E")
/ stimulusframes = [1 = dot_esquerdo]
/ inputdevice = keyboard
/ posttrialpause = 250
/timeout = 1000
</trial>

Please find the folder attached. 

As I said before, I am just learning how to use Inquisit and just realized that, to save changes I have made to a script, I must rename the file. I was just hitting the save button and hoping the changes had been recorded, which, as you told me, did not work. So, I am attaching a new folder, with all of the stuff I have mentioned. 

It seems to me there are some basic misconceptions perhaps about how Inquisit syntax works / how to do stuff with Inquisit. May I suggest you take a step back and work through the tutorials (if you haven't done so yet, or repeat the exercise if you've only skimmed them before)?

https://www.millisecond.com/support/docs/v4/html/tutorials/tutorials.htm

As for

> It seems like That Inquisit is trying to find the elements imgesquerdo e imgdireito in the folder I have saved the script, but I just wanted to refer to the two elements I associated two categories of images with.

That's not how things work. You cannot have two different <item> elements in a single <picture> element. You need two separate <picture> elements, each with its own <item> element. You'll also probably need two separate <trial> elements -- one that presents the <picture> element of category one, one that presents (and collects responses to) the <picture> element of the other category.

None of the stuff in the error message you attached is in the script you attached. How am I supposed to tell you what's wrong with it?