Order of stimuli appears to alternate for no reason (multi-likert scale plugin)

[nickriches]

Hi. I am using the multi-likert scale plugin. A sentence is presented, and then two rating scales. Code is below (NB the variables sentence scale1 and scale2 are read in from a javascript file).

When I run this, the sentence should appear, then the scale1 stimulus, then the first likert scale, then the scale2 stimulus, then the second likert scale. However, the sentence stimulus alternates appearing first before scale1 then before scale2, then back to its original position and so on.

(NB I tried to create a Minimal Worked Example, and ran into a few problems. I hope the code below is sufficient).

Thanks

var rating_scale_1_to_20 = [
    "Not at all", "1", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13", "14", "15", "16", "17", "18", "19", "Completely"
  ]

var ratings = {
  type: jsPsychSurveyLikert,
  questions: [
    {prompt: () => String(jsPsych.timelineVariable(`sentence`)) +
              `<br>` +
              String(jsPsych.timelineVariable(`scale1`)),
              labels: rating_scale_1_to_20,
              required: true},
    {prompt: () => String(jsPsych.timelineVariable(`scale2`)),
              labels: rating_scale_1_to_20,
              required: true}
  ],
  scale_width: 800,
  data: {
    likert_response: 'ratings_response'
  },
  randomize_question_order: true
};


var ratings_test_procedure = {
  timeline: [ratings],
  timeline_variables: comparative_stims,
  randomize_order: true
};



timeline.push(ratings_test_procedure);




    /* start the experiment */
    jsPsych.run(timeline);

[ChristopheBossens]

Could not test the code because I do not have the comparative_stims variable. However, could the ordering that that you see be related to the fact that the randomize_question_order property in your likert scale is set to true?

[nickriches]

Thanks for the responses and sorry I missed it. Github normally shows a blue dot at the top right when there is a response to a query you made on a github forum, but something happened.

I've just managed to solve it, and it doesn't appear to be related to the question order. The error rates to the string function. When I pulled the second stimulus inside the first string function, behaviour is as expected. I am not a sufficient expert in js to know how / why this works, but it does!

var ratings = {
  type: jsPsychSurveyLikert,
  questions: [
    {prompt: () => String(jsPsych.timelineVariable(`sentence`)) +
              `<br>` + jsPsych.timelineVariable(`scale1`),
              labels: rating_scale_1_to_20,
              required: true},
    {prompt: () => String(jsPsych.timelineVariable(`scale2`)),
              labels: rating_scale_1_to_20,
              required: true}
  ],
  scale_width: 800,
  data: {
    likert_response: 'ratings_response'
  },
  randomize_question_order: true
};

[nickriches]

Okay. Facepalm. You were absolutely right. Changing randomize_question_order to false fixed it. I thought that this variable related to the order of stimuli rather than the order of the questions, which is why I set it to true. Of course the randomizing of the order of stimuli is handled elsewhere. Thanks for your help.