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10.3.2 Scripting Groups
template entry. See also “Part 4: Scripting Reference, 13.3.6.2 Linking Event Attributes to
Template, Block, and Group Attributes”, p385.
Both “FirstInstructions” and “SecondInstructions” use the “FixedCycles” attribute, with a
value of 1. This means that only one trial should be run within the block. The “RegularTrials” block does not specify a trial count; by default, the trial count is 1, but this count is
scalable. The “ScaleBlocks” attribute in “Acuity” has a value of 5, which causes the number of trials within a “RegularTrials” block to be scaled to 5.
Block entries are described in more detail in “Part 4: Scripting Reference, 13.3.4 Scripting
Blocks”, p380.
10.3.2 Scripting Groups
Groups can be scripted into the experiment hierarchy similar to how blocks were added. In
the simplest case, you can set up groups in your experiment, and then manually pick a group
for each run of the experiment. Usually, however, you will want to automatically pick a
group based on information that you enter about the current subject.
Subject information tracking is best implemented by using the Subject Info facilities of the
graphic environment. There is no structured subject information tracking system built into
either PsyScope or factor format; instead, PsyScope’s general-purpose environment configuration is combined with a few “external” functions (built-in DCODs) to attain subject
info tracking independent of the format of the script.
Here, we will demonstrate the use of manually-selected groups, in order to show how
groups fit into the basic experiment hierarchy.
Create two groups for the Acuity experiment: one group will see only one block of trials
(fixating on the center of the screen at all times), while the other group will get the full experiment (with both center-fixation and direct-look blocks):
1.
In the #> GroupDefinitions section of the script, create two new entries:
SimpleGroup::
Blocks: FirstInstructions RegularTrials
ScaleBlocks: 5
FullRunGroup::
Blocks: FirstInstructions RegularTrials
SecondInstructions RegularTrials
ScaleBlocks: 5
2.
Change the “Acuity” experiment entry: first, delete the “Blocks” and “ScaleBlocks” attributes; then, add a “Groups” attribute:
Groups: SimpleGroup FullRunGroup
Current:> 1
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