E-STUDIO: Configuring Task Events [24789]

To set a Task Event, first select an Event for which the experiment should listen.  This event will be used to trigger (i.e., “cause”) the beginning of a task. Within the Events group on the Task Events tab, click the Add… button. The Add Event dialog will be displayed, listing Events available to be used as a trigger.

Table 1. Events by Object Type/Input Mask/Input Device

The image below further illustrates the relationship between the events associated with the Procedure object:

Example
To illustrate the addition of a Task Event, the images below show the events available for selection in relation to the Stimulus object within the BasicRT sample experiment. The available events relate to the timing of the Slide object presenting the stimulus (i.e., Stimulus), as well as to the device associated with the input mask that is defined on the Stimulus object (e.g., Keyboard events). The images below illustrate selection and addition of the OnsetTime event (i.e., to specify an action that will occur at the onset of the Stimulus object. To add an event, select it from the list, then click OK to add it to the Events window within the Task Events tab.
 

 
Define the Task
To define the action that will take place when the Event occurs, first select the device that will be responsible for the Task (i.e., the device that will carry out the “effect”) in response to the trigger Event. In the Task group on the Task Events tab, click the elipsesassociated with the Name field to display the Add Task dialog. The devices displayed within the dialog indicate those that support assigning an action for a Task Event.
 

 
NOTE: Supported devices appearing in the Add Task dialog may only be selected if they have been added to the experiment via the Devices tab in the Experiment Object Properties (see E-STUDIO: Experiment Object [22698] for information pertaining to adding Devices to an experiment). Devices that have not been added to the experiment will appear as disabled.
 
Select a device and click OK. Once added, the device type will appear in the Name field of the Task group.
 

 
In addition, selection of a device will enable the Delay and Action fields to complete the definition of the Task. 
 
Delay
The value specified in the Delay field indicates the duration to delay the occurrence of the Task relative to the Event. The Delay value represents the minimum number of milliseconds to delay the scheduling of the Task when the Event occurs. For example, a frequent scenario would be to trigger the parallel port to set a bit high at the OnsetTime of an object and then bring the parallel port bit low after a brief delay (e.g., 50 ms later). Note: This would be achieved by configuring two separate Task Events, one with a 0 delay, and one with a 50 ms delay. Attribute references may be used to vary the Delay value by trial or condition.
 
Action
The Action field is used to define the action associated with the trigger event (i.e., the “effect” caused by the trigger). From the dropdown list associated with the Action field, select an available Action. The list of available/supported Actions is determined by the selected device. For example, the ParallelPort device supports the SetBit, ResetBit, ToggleBit and WriteByte actions, the Script device permits user-written script segments to be invoked, the Chronos device permits a variety of actions related to tactile, auditory, visual, and analog responses, etc.Attribute references may be used to vary the Action by trial or condition.
 
Once an Action is selected, the fields within the Parameter group are displayed to allow specification of the properties related to the data to be sent, if the specified Action requires additional information (i.e., a parameter).
 

 
Parameter
The Parameter group defines the information required by the selected Action (i.e., what information must be passed to the Action from the Event so that the defined device may perform the action). Note: If the Action specified does not require a parameter, the Parameter fields are not displayed.