I am trying to embed participants' answers from a multiple response question into the following questions. Using the <variablename> embedding option only seems to work with scale response or fill in the blank questions.
Is there a way to do this?
I am trying to embed participants' answers from a multiple response question into the following questions. Using the <variablename> embedding option only seems to work with scale response or fill in the blank questions.
Is there a way to do this?
Hi cam15! To embed answers from a multiple response item using <variablename> embedding, you need to remember MediaLab creates a new variable name in the data output files for each of the multiple response item options; you will have as many variable names as you do option choices. The variable names are simply the name of the multiple response item appended with _xx, with xx being the oridinal position of each answer option. For example, s 5-option mc item will create 5 variables: mc_01 for the first choice, mc_02 for the second choice, and so on.
To embed the multiple response choices, we need to take advantage of the flexibility of the responses.xls option. Any variable in the responses.xls file can be embedded in a MediaLab questionnaire item. (You can read more about what the responses.xls file is and what it does in the Advanced Features section of the MediaLab.) Each of the answer choices for the mc item in the attached questionnaire file will be recorded in the appropriate row of rows 2-6 of the attached responses.xls file. A value of 1 will be recorded in the value cell next to each of the variables if the participant chooses that response option in the mc item; a value of 0 will be recorded if that option is not chosen.
However, I assume that you don't want 1 and 0 to show in your subsequent embedding of the multiple response choices. We can use Excel forumlas to create whatever valuse we would want MediaLab to embed in any item. First, we need to create some new calculated variables in rows 7-11. If you take a look at the values cells (B7 to B11 in the attached responses.xls file), you will see that I created conditional formulas so that if a 1 is recorded for the answer option variable, the item wording used in the mc item will appear whenever the variable names in rows 7-11 are embedded in an item. If a 1 is not recorded, a blank space will appear whenever those variables are imbedded in a questionnaire item. You can see the results in the instruction item that comes after the multiple response item in the attached questionnaire file.
I hope these files help get you started. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Jason Reed
Empirisoft Software Support Specialist
Thank you for the quick reply.
The .que attached appears to be blank.
When you download the questionnaire file, try saving it to your computer before opening it in the Experiment Editor.
Jason Reed
Empirisoft Software Support Specialist
Hi Jason,
For some reason, when I change the variable name from "mc" to anything else, the file stops working. Instead of the answer choices previously chosen, I see the variable name I changed it to when I embed it, e.g. <___opt>.
I've changed the variable name both in the initial question and item I'd like to embed it into, as well as the responses.xls document. Is there a reason why this wouldn't work when the variable name is changed?
Thanks for your help!
Please upload the questionnaire files and response.xls files that you changed and I will be happy to take a look at them.
Jason Reed
Empirisoft Software Support Specialist
The two files are attached. Thank you!
Hi cam15. I ran the files you uploaded and got the same kind of error. I got rid of it when I changed the names of the calculated variables, the ones that ended with opt in rows 10-17 of your responses.xls file. I just named them a1-a8 and the values from the formulas in cells b10-17 showed up as expected.
I'm going to look into why this was not working, but for now, you should be able to get around it by simply choosing different names for the calculated variables.
Jason Reed
Empirisoft Software Support Specialist
Thanks for looking in to this.
Hi cam15,
Just checking in to see if your study files are functioning as intended.
Jason Reed
Empirisoft Software Support Specialist
Hi Jason,
Yes they are, thank you. I believe there is an issue with using caps in the variable names that won't allow the responses to embed into subsequent questions. I'm not sure if it is using caps in the original variables names or in the new variables with the equations in the responses file, but I changed them to all lowercase letters and they are working now.
Thanks!
I'm glad to hear that everything is functioning. However, I'd be surprised if using capital letters was the cause of the problem. You should also be able to use capital letters in your variable names. If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me the what the old names of the problem variables were and what you changed them to?
Jason Reed
Empirisoft Software Support Specialist
I changed the original document I uploaded and can't seem to open it now, so I'm not completely sure about the old variable names, but I believe they were as follows:
OLD VARIABLE
multiple response question name = "DSM11a"
NEW VARIABLE
multiple response question name = "dsm11a"
In responses file, answer choices (these are the variables that include the =IF( , ) statements:
OLD VARIABLES NEW VARIABLES
DSM11a01opt dsm11a01
DSM11a02opt dsm11a02
DSM11a03opt dsm11a03
DSM11a04opt dsm11a04
DSM11a05opt dsm11a05
DSM11a06opt dsm11a06
DSM11a07opt dsm11a07
DSM11a08opt dsm11a08
If you are still able to open the files from my previous post, you can double-check what the old variable names were. I changed the variable names to lowercase letters and omitted the "opt" at the end to simplify.
Thanks for the information!
Jason Reed
Empirisoft Software Support Specialist
The moves toward Multiple data in one cell:
1. Open up your exercise manual.
2. Select the cell you need to put every one of your information.
3. Type = and select the main cell you wish to join.
4. Type and use quotes with space encased.
5. Select the other cell you need to join and hit enter. For instance =A3&" "&B3.