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*SCRAMBLED SENTENCES TASK*
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Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com) for Millisecond Software, LLC
Date: 04-07-2016
last updated: 10-09-2023 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com) for Millisecond Software, LLC
Script Copyright © 10-09-2023 Millisecond Software
Millisecond Software thanks Timo Brockmeyer for collaborating on this script!
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BACKGROUND INFO
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This script implements a simple computerized Scrambled Sentences Task, a test to measure
interpretation bias.
The implemented procedure is based on the following publications:
Hedlund, S., & Rude, S. S. (1995). Evidence of latent depressive schemas
in formerly depressed individuals. Journal of Abnormal Psychology,
104, 517–525.
Wenzlaff, R. M., & Bates, D. E. (1998). Unmasking a cognitive vulnerability
to depression: How lapses in mental control reveal depressive
thinking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 1559–1571
Everaert, J., Duyck, W., & Koster, E. H. W. (2014). Attention, interpretation, and memory
biases in subclinical depression: A proof-of-principle test of the combined
cognitive biases hypothesis. Emotion, 14(2), 331–340
Sanchez, A. et al (2015). Life is . . . great! Emotional attention during instructed and
uninstructed ambiguity resolution in relation to depressive symptoms.
Biological Psychology, 109 (2015), 67–72.
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TASK DESCRIPTION
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Participants are given scrambled sentences (e.g. "born winner am loser a I") with 6 words and are asked
to unscramble them using 5 of the 6 given words by entering corresponding numbers (e.g. 1 = 'born', 6 = 'I').
Half the scrambled sentences are "Emotional" ('winner' vs. 'loser') half the scrambled sentence are neutral
in regard to emotion. A cognitive load test is run for half the participants (based on groupId).
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DURATION
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the default set-up of the script takes appr. 12 minutes to complete
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DATA OUTPUT DICTIONARY
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The fields in the data files are:
(1) Raw data file: 'scrambledsentencestask_raw*.iqdat' (a separate file for each participant)
build: The specific Inquisit version used (the 'build') that was run
computer.platform: the platform the script was run on (win/mac/ios/android)
date, time: date and time script was run
subject, group: with the current subject/groupnumber
session: with the current session id
blockCode, blockNum: the name and number of the current block (built-in Inquisit variable)
trialCode, trialNum: the name and number of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable)
Note: trialNum is a built-in Inquisit variable; it counts all trials run; even those
that do not store data to the data file such as feedback trials. Thus, trialNum
may not reflect the number of main trials run per block.
sentenceCondition: 0 = demo;
1 = Emotional;
2 = Control
clCondition: cognitive load condition:
1 = runs cognitive load task;
2 = does not run cognitive load task
index: itemnumber of current sentence
scrambledSentence: the currently presented scrambled sentence
positiveSolution: stores the positive (pseudopositive for control) solution for the currently scrambled sentence
negativeSolution: stores the negative solution (pseudonegative for control) for the currently scrambled sentence
numericSentence: stores the cumulative numeric response
sentenceResponse: the entered unscrambled sentence (as translated from the numericSentence)
responseCategory: the emotional category of the response: "positive", "negative", "neutral" (for correct responses), "other" (for incorrect responses)
numericResponse: helper variable: stores the current numeric response based on scancode of response button
correct: accuracy of response (1 = correct; 0 = otherwise)
cumulativeRT: stores the cumulative latencies (in ms) of selecting the numbers of the current cumulative numeric response
(2) Summary data file: 'scrambledsentencestask_summary*.iqdat' (a separate file for each participant)
inquisit.version: Inquisit version run
computer.platform: the platform the script was run on (win/mac/ios/android)
startDate: date script was run
startTime: time script was started
subjectId: assigned subject id number
groupId: assigned group id number
sessionId: assigned session id number
elapsedTime: time it took to run script (in ms); measured from onset to offset of script
completed: 0 = script was not completed (prematurely aborted);
1 = script was completed (all conditions run)
propCorrectSolutions: proportion correct solutions
(correct = either the 'positive'/control1 or the 'negative'/control2 solution)
meanRTSolutions: mean latency (in ms) of entering the 5 digits for a correct solution
propCorrectSolutionsE: proportion correct solutions in condition 1 (Emotional)
meanRTE: mean latency (in ms) of entering the 5 digits for a correct solution in condition 1 (Emotional)
propNegSolutions: proportion negative solutions (based on correct solutions entered) in condition 1 (Emotional)
propPosSolutions: proportion positive solutions (based on correct solutions entered) in condition 1 (Emotional)
meanRTNeg: mean latency (in ms) of entering the 5 digits for negative solutions in condition 1 (Emotional)
meanRTPos: mean latency (in ms) of entering the 5 digits for positive solutions in condition 1 (Emotional)
propCorrectSolutionsC: proportion correct solutions in condition 2 (Control)
meanRTC: mean latency (in ms) of entering the 5 digits for a correct solution in condition 2 (Control)
clCondition: cognitive load condition:
1 = runs cognitive load task;
2 = does not run cognitive load task
clCorrect: 1 = cognitive load task correct;
0 = cognitive load task incorrect;
N/A = if no cognitive load condition was run
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EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP
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This script runs
1) 5 practice sentences (neutral)
2) 1 Testblock of 40 statements: 20 Emotional Statements, 20 Neutral Statements (order is randomly determined
with constraint that max.3 of the same trial type can run consecutively)
Each trial starts with a fixation cross presented center left for 2000ms (default) before it appears and
the scrambled sentence (each word in its own box) is presented for max. 10000ms (default).
Participants need to unscramble the sentences and click on the words in the order they should appear.
Digits appear above each word to indicate the selected word order.
Responses cannot be corrected.
Cognitive Load (CL): This script runs a cognitive load task for participants with odd numbered groupids
- presents a 6-digit number of 7000ms (can be edited) at start of test
- digit recall at end of test
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STIMULI
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5 practice sentences
20 emotional statements (taken from Wentzlaff & Bates, 1998*). * slightly altered to avoid ambiguous sentence
structures as much as possible
constraints on the order of the scrambled words:
* half the scrambled sentences present the positive word before the negative
* target words never start or end a scrambled sentence
* target words do not appear directly next to each other in the scrambled sentences
20 neutral statements (provided by Millisecond Software as demo sentences only)
(same constraints as for the Emotional sentences)
edit all stimuli under section Editable Stimuli
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INSTRUCTIONS
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Instructions are not original to any study- they are based on Wentzlaff & Bates (1998) and
can be edited under section Editable Instructions
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EDITABLE CODE
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check below for (relatively) easily editable parameters, stimuli, instructions etc.
Keep in mind that you can use this script as a template and therefore always "mess" with the entire code
to further customize your experiment.
The parameters you can change are:
/wordSize: the size of the word stimuli in canvas height percentages (default: 1.8%)
/digitSize:: the size of the cognitive load digits in canvas height percentages (default: 5%)
/fixationDuration: duration (in ms) fixation cross is presented by itself (default: 2000ms)
/maxAssemblyTime: the max. duration (in ms) allowed to assembly each sentence (default: 10000ms)
/iti: intertrial interval (in ms) = blank screen between trials before next
fixation cross is presented (default: 7000ms)
/clDigitDuration: Cognitive Load digit presentation duration (in ms) (default: 7000ms)
