Randomly presenting different Instructions

Tpatrick

Hi,

I am working on a relatively basic experiment. My experimental stimulus is the same video throughout. What I want to change are the instructions given prior to the participants seeing the video. So, participants will receive specific instructions, respond to the video according to the specific instructions, then move on to the next trial where the instructions will be different. I was wondering how to randomly present different instructions and/or script rather than the stimulus.

Thanks...

Fab

Hi @Tpatrick,

The easiest way is to include your instructions as part of one of the variables in a loop and then populate the sketchpad where you present the instructions from that variable.

Best,

Fabrice.

DahmSF

Hi Patrick,

seems like you need a loop that contains a sequence.

In the sequence: Instruction, Video, Response, Logger

Place your different instructions in a variable in the loop item. Either as text, or as a picture.

Hope that helps,

Stephan

Tpatrick

Ok this seems straightforward enough. This is a silly question, but is Instruction (in the sequence) a blank placeholder that will populate with the different instructions I have created? And can you explain a little more how I would go about placing the different instructions as a variable in the loop item? I am very close to getting this to work, but the way I have it set up it calls up all of the different instructions consecutively before the stimulus rather than randomly one at a time.

Fab

Hi @Tpatrick,

How to implement it depends a little on how you want the trial to work. For example, if you wanted th instruction text at the top of the screen with the picture below, you could do that in a single sketchpad. If you wanted a screen with the instructions followed by a screen with the picture, you'd use two sketchpads.

In either case, the context of the text to be displayed as instructions can be simply pulled from the loop (in the same way as you would retrieve any information to populate any object in a trial).

If you're new to Open Sesame, I strongly recommend following the tutorials and reading the documentation.

Here's how to show different instructions and pictures on each trial in a nutshell:

Create a block where you define variables containing the instructions and the pictures:

Create a trial sequence containing sketchpads to present the instructions and the pictures (as well as a keyboard even to take the response to the picture, the duration of whihc should therefore be set to 0 ms).

On the instructions sketchpad, insert a text object and set its content to the corresponding variable in your loop.

On the picture sketchpad, insert a text object and set its content to the corresponding variable in your loop.

Of course you'll have to set the rest (e.g., correct response, and anything else you may need), but that's basically it.

Here's my example:

basic instruction picture task.osexp

Fabrice.

Tpatrick

Hi Fab,

Thank you very much for the thorough explanation. It works beautifully now!

Fab

Hi @Tpatrick,

Glad I could help, and thanks a lot for the coffee! Much appreciated!

Good luck with your research,

Fabrice.