Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Credits:
Millisecond thanks Summer Nguyen for providing the correct classifications!
Created: January 30, 2025
Last Modified: January 25, 2025 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC
This script implements the Timed Grammaticality Judgment Test (TGJT), originally published by Ellis (2005) as a measure of implicit knowledge of English as a foreign language.
Ellis, R. (2005). MEASURING IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE OF A SECOND LANGUAGE: A Psychometric Study. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27(2), 141–172. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263105050096
Ellis, R., & u.a. (2009). Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing and teaching. In MultiLingual Matters Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013 (1st ed., Vol. 42). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847691767
Zhang, R. (2015). MEASURING UNIVERSITY-LEVEL L2 LEARNERS’ IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 37(3), 457–486. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263114000370
5 minutes
Participants see 68 English sentences - one after the other- and have to press one response key if the sentence is grammatically correct and another response key if it is not. Each sentence has a timeout and participants are asked to be as quick and accurate as possible.
1 Block of 68 sentences
- sentences are presented in randomized order
- they are scored as correct or incorrect (timeouts are scored as incorrect)
Trial Sequence:
- Sentence for max. 1800-6240ms*
- iti (blank screen) for 500ms
Timeouts:
Timeout range 1800-6240ms was taken from Ellis (2005). They established the sentence timelines based on pilot
testing. The specific timeout values for each of the 68 sentences were not reported.
For this script, 5 different timeout categories were established:
1800,2910,4020,5130,6240 and assigned to the sentences based on wordCounts.
The mean timeout was: 3628ms
Change timeouts under section Editable Stimuli (->item.stimTimeoutMS).
Replacing all timeout values with a fixed number (e.g. 3500ms) will provide the same timeout
for each sentence.
68 English Sentences taken from: Ellis et al (2009) - Appendix D
The 68 sentences are divided into 17 grammar rules with 4 sentences each
(2 correct and 2 incorrect).
The final classifications were provided by S. Ngyen via direct communication with
the original authors.
provided by Millisecond - can be edited in script 'tgjt_instructions_inc.iqjs'
File Name: tgjt_summary*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| inquisit.version | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| computer.touch | 0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities |
| computer.hasKeyboard | 0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected |
| 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 = Test was not completed 1 = Test was completed |
| propCorrect | The proportion of correct responses across all stim judgements |
| meanCorrRT | The mean correct response time |
File Name: tgjt_raw*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| build | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| computer.touch | 0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities |
| computer.hasKeyboard | 0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected |
| date | Date the session was run |
| time | Time the session was run |
| subject | Participant ID |
| group | Group number |
| session | Session number |
| blockcode | The name the current block (built-in Inquisit variable) |
| blocknum | The number of the current block (built-in Inquisit variable) |
| trialcode | The name of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable) |
| trialnum | The number of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable) trialnum is a built-in Inquisit variable; it counts all trials run even those that do not store data to the data file. |
| trialCounter | Counts the number of trials |
| stimIndex | Stores the index of the current stim |
| stim | Stores the current stim question |
| grammaticalAcc | 1 = stim is grammatically correct 0 = otherwise |
| stimCategory | The assigned grammar category for the current stim (e.g. "Comparative", "Dative" etc) |
| timeoutMS | The assigned timeout (based on word count) |
| response | The response of participant (scancode of response button) 16 = Q 25 = P |
| responseText | Stores the label of the response button |
| correct | Correctness of response (1 = correct, 0 = error) |
| latency | Response latency (in ms); measured from: onset of stims |
The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.
| Name | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Sizing Parameters |
||
| stimHeightPct | The proportional height of the letters in the sentence (proportional to canvas height) | 3.5% |
Timing Parameters |
||
| getreadyDuration | The duration (in ms) of the get-ready-trial | 3000 |
| itiMS | The duration (in ms) of the intertrial interval | 500 |
Responsekeys |
||
| leftResponseKey | The left response key (on a QWERTY keyboard) | "Q" |
| rightResponseKey | The right response key (on a QWERTY keyboard) | "P" |
| yesResponseKey | Assignment of left response key to Yes-responses | parameters.leftResponseKey |
| noResponseKey | Assignment of right response key to No-responses | parameters.rightResponseKey |