I have an experiment where I have 4 events for each trial. The first 3 require a single key response, and the fourth will require a string response. I am having trouble with the string entry.
If I click “end trial when subject presses CORRECT key” it takes responses and then keep writing over them every time the subject hits the Next > button.
If I click take any response, the event end after the person types only a few letters…this is a problem as I need string entry so I know if they remembered the RIGHT word…not just a few letters of a word.
Keyboard Single Key and String input conflict, as they are both looking for input from the same device. In order to use both in the same experiment, you have to configure both devices to only look for input if the event designates the device as having a correct response. This is in the options tab in the participant input device.
The conflict is that it’s basically a coin-toss as far as which of the two input “devices” receive the keyboard event. The behavior can vary depending on how the experiment is configured, but it generally comes out that you’re lucky to get more than one character into the string input field. Of course, with it configured so you can use both in an experiment, it also means you have to specify a correct response for events that otherwise don’t have a conceptual correct and incorrect, otherwise the event won’t look at either, and the only keyboard key that works will then be the escape key.
I am wondering if in the next version we could have where you can make separate out the type of input looked for BY EVENT. So, instead of having the whole experiment being open to look for input from certain devices all the time, as it seems to be now, maybe we could do this BY BLOCK? I mean, ideally, I could do it by EVENT…where some events will look for a single key, and others will look for strings.
For example, when I am using the computer for instructions, I don’t want to designate a set amount of time–I want them to read at their own pace…and to go to the next screen by hitting the space key, for example. But, when I get to the experiment, I want them to be able to write a whole word. It would be okay if I could have a whole block (the instruction block) use single key entry…and the experimental blocks use string entry. But, the best would be to be able to designate BY EVENT which input type to look for.
This is the feature I was describing. It’s not available for all input types, but SuperLab can already do exactly what you are asking for–on a per event basis.
In the Participant Input dialog, click on Keyboard - Single Keys. Then click the Options tab. At the bottom, you want to Look for Single Key Responses From Participants “Only if an event designates a single key response as correct.” Do the same for Keyboard - String Input. Now, any event that does not have one of these two marked as a correct response will not use this input device at all.
If you want to look for a space bar, mark it as the correct response. If you don’t particularly care if they actually hit the space bar or some other key, set the event to end after any response–but you still need to mark the space bar as the correct response.
If you want to look for string input, mark a string input response as correct. Likewise you can also set the event to end after any response, but you still need to mark a string input response as correct.