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*Belief Updating Task*
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Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com) for Millisecond Software, LLC
Date: 01-15-2021
last updated: 01-04-2024 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com) for Millisecond Software, LLC
Script Copyright © 01-04-2024 Millisecond Software
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BACKGROUND INFO
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This script implements a custom Belief Updating Procedure used to study people's tendency to update their current beliefs
based on provided information.
It is generously shared with the Inquisit Task Library by C. Hobbs from the University of Bath.
Reference:
Hobbs, C., Vozarova, P., Sabharwal, A., Shah, P., & Button, K. (2022). Is depression associated with reduced optimistic belief updating?
Royal Society Open Science, 9(2), 190814–190814. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.190814
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TASK DESCRIPTION
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Participants are given positive and negative life events and are asked to provide probability estimate that
these events might be happening (not happening) to them throughout their lives.
In-between an initial estimate and a re-estimate of the probebility, they are given the actual probability
of the event happening (not happening) to someone like them.
Later, their memory for these actual probabilities.
The script further collects ratings for each life event on 7 scales
("vividness", "familiarity", "prior experience", "emotional arousal", "negativity", "positivity", "controllability").
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DURATION
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the default set-up of the script takes appr. 1 hour to complete
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DATA FILE INFORMATION
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The default data stored in the data files are:
(1) Raw data file: 'beliefupdating_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 (Note: 8 groupnumbers)
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.
valenceOrder: 1 = Neg -> Pos; 2 = Pos -> Neg
listOrder: 1 = list1 -> list2; 2 = list2->list1
happeningOrder: 1 = H -> NH; 2 = NH -> H
trialCounter: counts all relevant test trials across all phases (used to sprinkle in attention questions)
Note: there are a total of 1280 trials counted
phase: "practice", "estimate", "recall", "ratings"
trialCounter_perPhase: counts the number of trials per phase
Estimate Phase: 8 trials per life event (20 life events x 8 = 160 trials)
Recall Phase: 1 trial per life event (20 life events x 1 = 20 trials)
Ratings Phase: 7 ratings per life event (40 life events x 7 = 280 trials)
valence: "positive" vs. "negative"
list: 1 vs. 2
happenCondition: 1 = H; 2 = NH
ratingCategory: for rating trials: stores the current rating Category (familiarity....vividness)
index: the itemumber of the currently presented life event
lifeEvent: the currently presented life event
p_H: probability(life event happening)
p_NH: probability(life event NOT happening)
p_target: the relevant probability (depending on values.happenCondition)
//DVs:
p_estimate: the current probability estimate entered by the participant
p_estimate1: the probability estimate entered by the participant for the INITIAL estimate
p_estimate2: the probability estimate entered by the participant for the RE-ESTIMATE estimate
RT_estimate1: the response time (in ms) for making INITIAL probability estimate
RT_estimate2: the response time (in ms) for making RE-ESTIMATE probability estimate
p_recall: probability of life event as recalled by participant
ACC_recall: 1 = the entered probability recalled is correct; 0 = otherwise
RT_recall: the response time (in ms) for recall
rating_controllability: the entered number (1-6) for the controllability scale for the current life event
rating_emotionalarousal: the entered number (1-6) for the emotional arousal scale for the current life event
rating_familiarity: the entered number (1-6) for the familiarity scale for the current life event
rating_negativity: the entered number (1-6) for the negativity scale for the current life event
rating_positivity: the entered number (1-6) for the positivity scale for the current life event
rating_priorexperience: the entered number (1-6) for the prior experience scale for the current life event
rating_vividness: the entered number (1-6) for the vividness scale for the current life event
RT_controllability: the response time (in ms) of submitting controllability rating
RT_emotionalarousal: the response time (in ms) of submitting emotional arousal rating
RT_familiarity: the response time (in ms) of submitting familiarity rating
RT_negativity: the response time (in ms) of submitting negativity rating
RT_positivity: the response time (in ms) of submitting positivity rating
RT_priorexperience: the response time (in ms) of submitting prior experience rating
RT_vividness: the response time (in ms) of submitting vividness rating
//Attention Checks:
propCorrect_AttentionChecks: proportion correct Attention Check responses
numberCorrect_AttentionChecks: the absolute number of Correct Attention Check responses
//Inquisit built-in variables:
stimulusitem: the presented stimuli in order of trial presentation
response: the participant's response (scancode of response buttons)
correct: accuracy of response: 1 = correct response; 0 = otherwise (particularly relevant for attention check trials)
latency: the response latency (in ms) measured for the current data-recording trial
(2) Summary data file: 'beliefupdating_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)
//Attention Checks:
/propCorrect_AttentionChecks: proportion correct Attention Check responses
/numberCorrect_AttentionChecks: the absolute number of Correct Attention Check responses
* separate data files: to change to one data file for all participants (on Inquisit Lab only), go to section
"DATA" and follow further instructions
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EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP
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(I) 8 counterbalanced groups (every combination of values.valenceOrder/values.listOrder/values.happeningOrder):
//group1: neg before pos, N before NH, list1 before list2
//group2: neg before pos, NH before H, list2 before list1
//group3: neg before pos, H before NH, list2 before list1
//group4: neg before pos, NH before H, list1 before list2
//group5: pos before neg, N before NH, list1 before list2
//group6: pos before neg, NH before H, list2 before list1
//group7: pos before neg, H before NH, list2 before list1
//group8: pos before neg, NH before H, list1 before list2
Assignment is done by groupnumber selection
(II) Each group runs the following phases:
(A) PRACTICE: 2 estimate trainings
(B) Test:
(1) Estimate1/2: for all 20 items of list1 negative items (OR: list2 negative items/list1 positive items/ list2 positive items)
(a) presentation of life event (4s), initial probability estimate for event happening(not happening), isi (1200ms),
presentation (3s) of actual probability of life event happening (not happening), isi (1200ms),
(b) presentation of same life event (4s), re-estimate probability for event happening(not happening), isi (1200ms),
(2) Estimate1/2: for all 20 items of list2 negative items (list1 negative items/list1 positive items/ list2 positive items)
(a) presentation of life event (4s), initial probability estimate for event NOT happening(happening), isi (1200ms),
presentation (3s) of actual probability of life event NOT happening (happening), isi (1200ms),
(b) presentation of same life event (4s), re-estimate probability for event NOT happening(happening), isi (1200ms),
Notes:
* (1) and (2) counterbalance 'list' (list1 vs. list2) and 'happening/not happening'
* order of life events random
(3) Recall of actual life event probabilities introduced in (1) - 20 trials (order of life events random)
(4) Recall of actual life event probabilities introduced in (2) - 20 trials (order of life events random)
(5) Ratings: for all 40 life events introduced in 1-2 (life events random)
- ratings on 7 scales ("vividness", "familiarity", "prior experience", "emotional arousal", "negativity", "positivity", "controllability")
- currently the scale order is randomized
(6)-(10): repeat of 1-5 with life events of opposite valence
ATTENTION CHECKS:
This script runs random attention Checks throughout the task.
By default, 8 attention checks (2 different kind of trials) are run.
Attention Check Algorithm:
- parameters.numberAttentionCheckTrials sets the number of attention checks to run (default: 8)
- there are 1280 trials during the task that could randomly be followed by an attentioncheck
=> each of those trials update 'values.trialcounter'
=> the script randomly selects 8 of those trials (and sorts them in ascending sequence):
=> each trial checks at the end whether values.trialcounter matches the next 'check trialnumber'
=> if so: an attention check trial is run (currently there are two types that can be selected. Selection is
done randomly without replacement)
=> Details under section 'Attention Check Code'
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STIMULI
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provided by C. Hobbs, see section Editable Stimuli
Task stimuli for the test consist of short descriptions of 40 negative and 40 positive life events and the
average probability of someone in the same environment as the participant experiencing these events in
their lifetime.
In keeping with previous research very common (greater than 70%) and very rare (less than 10%) events
will not be included. This will allow for change between initial and re-estimates.
To allow for variability in ratings for high and low probability life events,
participants are told that event probabilities fell within 3% and 77%.
Of the 72 negative life events used by Korn et al, 42 (2 for practice, 40 for test) of the
same negative life events are used, although new estimates were estimated to account for
possible changes in available statistics for probabilities following the publication of Korn et al (2014).
In addition, estimates for 42 positive life events (2 for practice, 40 for test).
Estimates were derived from reputable resources including peer reviewed academic journal articles,
governmental resources (e.g. the Office for National Statistics),
non-governmental organisation resources, and marketing and consumer data companies.
Note: the default stimuli might be cultural-specific
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INSTRUCTIONS
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provided by C. Hobbs
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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:
