[open] Randomly presenting auditory stimuli with multiple variations

Comments

• eduard

  April 2016 edited 5:37AM

  Hi,

  Is this the best or easiest way to go about this?

  Well no, the best (maybe not best, but certainly easiest) way is to do everything in Python, that is Opensesame altogether.

  And if so, what would the coding look like?

  For one, you need to define the variables that you want to manipulate in the loop table of a loop item. For example, you could have two variables there: ENV and DUR and each of them contains all possible values. In the sequence of that loop you can place an inline_script, in which you can use plain python code. What you would need to do is creating the filename of the files that fit the values of your variables ENV and DUR. Something like that will do:

  
  import random
  
  # pick a random carrier sentence
  carrier = random.choice([1,2,3,4,5,6]
  
  filename = 'car%s_ENV%s_DUR%s'%(carrier,var.ENV,var.DUR)
  
  # then load the file and do the presenting operations
  

  As I understood, all the sentences and words are already saved somewhere in files. With the method I briefly described, you select which files contain the information that are needed for a particular trial, read this single file into Opensesame and its content during a trial. However, if this is not the case (e.g. everything is stored in one variable, or the sentences are freely cominable and currently not stored anywhere), you can also do the counterbalancing and randomization steps in the beginning of your experiment (from within an inline_script, which is basically python scripting). If you like to do that, let us know and we can give more info on how to do it.

  I hope this makes sense.

  Good luck,

  Eduard

  
• DISaltzman

  April 2016 edited April 2016

  Update: I've gotten part of it working, but now I'm stuck on how I take this filename I've generated and present the audio file it matches to. I know how to make the sample use variables from the Loop window, but I don't know how to take the filename from the python code and use it.
• eduard

  April 2016 edited April 2016

  Hi,

  It depends on the structure of your experiment (will you do everything in inline_scripts or are you only using them to prepare everything and then rely on other items like sketchpads and samplers).

  In python code is basically two things that you have to do:

  1) Load the image : sound = exp.pool['example.ogg']

  2) Create the sampler: my_sampler = sampler(sound, volume=.5)

  (the third step would be to actually play the sound: my_sampler.play() )

  Does this make sense?

  Good luck,

  eduard

  
• DISaltzman

  April 2016 edited April 2016

  Thank you so much, I got that working!

  I have ran into another issue: I'm trying to make an individualized sketchpad appear with response options depending upon the the word presented. There are six words, so I've created six sketchpads. The six words are: slab, lab, gab, clog, league, and tend.

  Currently, I'm trying to do this by using a Python script that reads the filename (like "car1_ENV2_DUR3+sla_VL3.wav" and checks to see if any of the six words are in it. If it is present, I want it to change a variable to a different number, and then the appropriate sketchpad runs based on that variable's value.

  This is what I have so far:

  In the first sequence, I have a an inline script that sets the variable to zero:

  exp.set('responseSP','0')
  

  Then in the experimental loop I have this:

  file = self.get('fname')
  print self.get('fname')
  
  if 'lea' in file == 'true':
      exp.set('responseSP','1')
  elif 'lab' in file == 'true':
      exp.set('responseSP','2')
  elif 'sla' in file == 'true':
      exp.set('responseSP','3')
  elif 'ten' in file == 'true':
      exp.set('responseSP','4')
  elif 'clo' in file == 'true':
      exp.set('responseSP','5')
  elif 'gab' in file == 'true':
      exp.set('responseSP','6')
  
  print self.get('responseSP')
  

  Unfortunately, 'responseSP' doesn't seem to be changing as it prints "0" both before and after the series of "if" statements. I'm sure this is very easy to do, but I can't seem to get it to work.
• eduard

  April 2016 edited 5:37AM

  Hi,

  two things I'd like to point you to.

  First, if you want to check whether something is true, you can't use the string "true", but have to use it plainly true (or simply 1 or 0).

  Second, if you test whether something is in something else, you don't to add a true comparison.

  So, if 'lea' in file: will be sufficient.

  Does this make sense?

  Eduard