Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Created: January 29, 2016
Last Modified: January 30, 2024 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC
This script implements the Sentence Verification Task, a speeded-reasoning task using speed and accuracy to study the interplay of 'naive' intuitions (e.g. the 'sun moves around the earth') and contradictory scientific knowledge (e.g. 'the earth moves around the sun').
The implemented procedure is based on:
Shtulman, A. & Valcarcel, J. (2012). Scientific knowledge suppresses but does not supplant earlier intuitions. Cognition, 124, 209–215.
15 minutes
Participants are presented a variety of statements across several knowledge domains and have to decide as fast as possible if these statements are true or false by selecting 'E' for true and 'I' for false. Some of these statements differ in whether they are would be judged as 'true' according to a 'naive' or a 'scientific' understanding/theory of the subject matter.
10 domain blocks with 20 trials: 200 trials total
- order of blocks randomized
- each block tests one subject matter domain with 5 concepts x 4 questions per concept (see STIMULI below)
(domain is announced in the instructions presented before each block)
- order of questions within a block randomized
- half the questions are truth-consistent (same response for naive and scientific theory)
- by default, task is untimed
if fewer than 10 blocks should be run, go to section EXPERIMENT and follow instructions
taken from the published supplemental material of Shtulman & Valcarcel (2012):
10 domains with 5 concepts. Each concept is tested with 4 questions:
- one question is true across scientific and naive theory
- one question is false across scientific and naive theory
- one question is true by the naive theory but false by the scientific theory
- one question is false by the naive theory but true by the scientific theory
Items can be viewed and edited under section STIMULI below
Instructions are not original; they are provided by Millisecond and can be edited under section
Editable Instructions.
File Name: sentenceverificationtask_summary*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| inquisit.version | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| startDate | Date the session was run |
| startTime | Time the session was run |
| subjectId | Participant ID |
| groupId | Group number |
| sessionId | Session number |
| elapsedTime | Session duration in ms |
| completed | 0 = Test was not completed 1 = Test was completed |
| propCorrect | Overall proportion correct responses |
| meanRT | Overall mean latency (in ms) of correct responses |
| sd | Overall standard deviation (in ms) of latencies to correct responses |
Consistent = Naive Intuition And Scientific Knowledge Result In Same Response |
|
| propCorrectTruthConsistent | Proportion correct responses of consistent statements |
| meanRTTruthConsistent | Mean latency (in ms) of correct responses of consistent statements |
| sdTruthConsistent | Standard deviation (in ms) of latencies to correct responses of consistent statements |
Inconsistent = Naive Intuition And Scientific Knowledge Result In Different Response |
|
| propCorrectTruthInconsistent | Proportion correct responses of inconsistent statements |
| meanRTTruthInconsistent | Mean latency (in ms) of correct responses of inconsistent statements |
| sdTruthInconsistent | Standard deviation (in ms) of latencies to correct responses of inconsistent statements |
| rtDiff | The difference btw. "mean corrRT Inconsistent" - "mean corrRT Consistent" (in ms) positive value: it took longer to correctly categorize Inconsistent statements => evidence of conflict btw. naive intuition and scientific knowledge 0: there was no advantage of Consistent statements => no evidence of conflict btw. naive intuition and scientific knowledge negative value: it took longer to correctly categorize Consistent statements Within the given framework, there is no satisfactory explanation for this behavior |
File Name: sentenceverificationtask_raw*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| build | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| date | Date the session was run |
| time | Time the session was run |
| subject | Participant ID |
| group | Group number |
| session | Session number |
| blockCode | Name of the current block |
| blockNum | Number of the current block |
| trialCode | Name of the current trial |
| trialNum | Number of the current trial |
| domain | Domain name tested |
| stimConcept | Concept tested |
| naiveCorrect | 1 = true by naive theory 0 = otherwise |
| scientificCorrect | 1 = true by scientific theory 0 = otherwise |
| truthConsistency | 1 = naive understanding and scientific theory are consistent (= would evoke the same response) 0 = otherwise (=potential conflict if scientific knowledge has been learned) |
| stimulusItem | The presented stimuli in order of trial presentation here: the statement |
| response | The participant's response (scancode of responsekey)- built-in variable 18 = E (true) 23 = I (false) |
| responseCat | The interpreted key response-custom variable 1 = participant indicated 'true' 0 = participant indicated 'false' |
| correct | The correctness of the response 1 = response correct by scientific theory 0 = incorrect otherwise |
| latency | The response latency (in ms); measured from onset of statement |
The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.
| Name | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| trueResponseKey | The label for the 'true' responsekey ; left response key | E |
| falseResponseKey | The label for the 'false' responsekey ; right response key | I |
| fontSize | The fontsize of the statements in canvas height percentage | 5% |