Generating and - saving - random values from responses.xls files

[lpike]

hmm.. the instruction 1 and 2 page is just blank now; it doesn't even say "here is scenario1 <vig> " ...! I've tried moving the zip file out of the experiment file but no change- help! I've attached the zip file again. Thanks!

[lpike]

Hello again,

I'm back on the case after a little break, did you have a chance to look at the above spreadsheet to see what could be the problem?

Thanks,
Lindsey

[jarvis24]

This took quite a while to figure out--but I think I may have found the problem. Eventually I recalled from years back that MediaLab can sometimes have trouble using calculated values from Excel files that use functions from the Analysis Tool Pack Add-In (see Tools Menu in Excel)

It just so happened that the function you were using to generate random numbers came from this toolpack, e.g.,

=randbetween(1,3)

In the attached revision, I've replaced these uses of the randbetween function with Excel's own rand function like this:

=(INT(RAND()*3))+1

The latter generates an integer value between 1 and 3 but it does not use the Analysis Toolpack so the calculated vignette strings display with no problem--at least on the sample when I just ran it.

Hope that helps,
Blair

[lpike]

it's working.

[Trevor Newell]

Great! That's good to hear.
Let us know if you need any more help.

[lpike]

I need more help

Having collected lots of lovely vignettes, I've just realised that reports aren't doing what I need to them to do. The idea was to find out which factors affect people's judgements of when to make a safeguarding alert, and to do this i need to record which vignette they see, along with their responses to it. I've used conditional logic as advised, and looking at the reports, I thought they recorded the vignette that was shown with the responses. However looking more closely, I've realised the reports change every time I open the file, same as the instructions. This is a disaster (!) because it means I've got no record of what vignette was actually shown to participants, as it changes every time I open it- it's not even the same the first time I open the report (I checked!) is there any way to make the reports record the actual screen that was presented, or a way to stop the conditional logic from changing randomly in the reports as it's programmed to in the responses file?
I've attached the questionnaire, responses file and an example of a report- F9 changes the vignette combinations!

many thanks,

lindsey

[lpike]

Hello again,

Have you managed to make any headway on this issue- I could really do with some help asap! I've tried adding graphs etc to sheet 2 as a way to depict the vignette that was shown, but this does exactly the same thing of changing each time the file is opened. I seem to be in a catch 22 situation of needing the randomising formula in the responses file to make the vignettes work, but then having my data sabotaged by those randomising formulas as they prevents recording the vignette that the participant saw! Is there any way to "freeze" the report file so it is locked from changing or recalculating regardless of the formulas that are in it? i don't know if this involves programming something into excel...
Help will be very much appreciated! Thanks in advance.