Insert prior responses into subsequent question wording

[jarvis24]

See: http://empirisoft.com/support/showthread.php?t=271.

[kdonovan12]

Hi - If anyone could help my I would be SO SO greatful (I have spent several hours learning how to create htm files and purusing these search boards; they have helpful to an extent but now I am stuck!).

I have a multiple response question, and I want to "pipe in" the responses to this question in two, multiple choice, follow-up questions. I can get this to all work in Media Lab (i.e., it looks right), but the data collection is not correct. Basically it is capturing the multiple responses from the initial question and the first followup question correctly, but then it appears to be collecting the data from the second follow-up question and writing it into the first follow-up questions variable "slots" (if that makes any sense).

I have attached the questionnaire file and the three htm files (I have more than 12 response options so all three multiple choice questions have to be custom items), if anyone cares to take a look. The plan is to have this process repeated 10 times per subject (e.g., they read a vignette and answer three multiple choice questions about it using the format described above, then repeat with nine more vignettes).

If anyone has any thoughts or comments, that would be fantastic. Also, I am working with Media Lab 2006.2.40 if that makes a difference.

Katie

[jarvis24]

Katie, not seeing the attachment here. Can you zip the whole thing and re-try? Also, if you could attach a reduced/simplified version that would be helpful--that is, a shortened version that includes just enough content to illustrate the problem. Just makes problem solving go a lot faster on our end!

[kdonovan12]

Yes, attaching the files would be helpful for you. I've tried to make the questionnaire as cut and dry as possible, as well. Thank you again for taking the time to look at this. No one in my department was able to help me out and, as I mentioned in the previous post, the search forums allowed me to get to this point at least (in terms of creating the custom items and learning htm on the fly)!

Katie

[jenjordan75]

Hello:
I am trying to create the following questionnaire item/structure. I would like participants to write an essay (labeled the variable, 'Letter') and then show them this essay in the wording section of a later item. I have Media Lab 2008 and have read through the entire Advanced Features section. I've also worked on the sample files in your accompanying examples. But unfortunately, these activities haven't proved to be much help.

Following the instructions, I created a questionnaire item that follows their 'Letter' writing, with the following wording:

Below is the text of the letter that you just wrote. There are also a pad of paper and envelopes. Feel free to copy down the letter, put it in the envelope, and seal it.
<Letter>

I also created an accompanying excel spreadsheet with the following fields and entries:

variable
value
skipto

Letter

LetterYN

But to no use. The letter is not presented back to participants as I would desire.

Is it possible to do this? If so, how?

I am happy to send along my files if it would be of help.

Many thanks in advance.
Jennifer

[jarvis24]

First off, try changing your variable name to lowercase "letter" in the que, the excel file and in the <letter> reference and see if that helps (it might depending on the version of MediaLab you are using. If that doesn't help, yes, please do attach the responses.xls file and the que file where the "letter" is written and re-presented.

[jenjordan75]

Thanks for the suggestion, Jarvis! I tried changing it to "letter" but no use. I am attaching the files. The issue in question appears in the "forgiveness" questionnaire.

Any help you can offer would be appreciated! Thank you.

[pspicer]

Hi,

I've been able to insert previous responses into questions within the questionnaire with no trouble, but I can't figure out if there is a way to use the responses as stimulus in a Direct RT file. Specifically, I want to use the words they type as primes. I tried typing the variable (<variable>, in this case <Name1>) into the stim column of direct RT, but that didn't seem to work at all. Is there a way I can get just the word written to a text file, and then use that text file as the stimulus? I know there's the data file, but it looks like all IDs write to the same file.

Thanks for any help, and let me know if there's any other information that would helpful.

[jarvis24]

jenjordan75,

I think I found the problem. Essay data are different than other data--you can't insert them using the variable name as you can a fill in the blank or scale item response. However, you CAN insert variables that are recorded to a responses.xls file (see Advanced Features). Problem with this is that Essay data again, are not written to the responses.xls file. They are written to their own separate data file and so you'll get the same "ok" in the responses.xls file that you do in your other data files.

SO... the answer? Using a custom item. I've drafted one here based on your attached sample. It's basically an HTML file that provides a text box just like an essay (you can adjust the size by editing the essay.htm file in a text editor like notepad.

Then I simply added a responses.xls file to track the "letter" variable and then go on to insert it as you had done so previously. Try out this simplified revised sample and see if it accomplishes what you need. If not, please let me know!

[jarvis24]

pspicer,

Great idea, but no, as yet there is not a way for DirectRT to read values from a responses.xls file that is active in MediaLab.