Knowledge Base

Enter Modifier Details

• Description – Optionally add a description to your modifier in the Description field (maximally 1024 ASCII characters). This is particularly useful if two or more people are using the same coding scheme and need to know how the modifiers are defined.
• Start Code – The code to score the modifier. With the option Generate Keycodes Automatically, the key code is automatically assigned to the modifier. Optionally, change it.
• Color – This color and pattern are shown in the Data and Audio Visualization window and in the Visualization. Click the Color cell to change it and to add a pattern (optionally).
• Sound – Optionally browse to a sound (*.wav file) you want to hear when you score that behavior. To play the sounds, you must select the Use Coding Scheme Sounds (for elements only) check box in the Sound Feedback tab of the Project Settings.
• Inactive – Select this check box if you want to make the behavior inactive when you do not want to use it anymore.

Notes On Modifier Properties

• Many of the properties can be shown as columns in the Modifiers pane, but are hidden by default. To show these columns, right-click one of the headers and select Show All Columns. To hide a column, right-click that column's header and select Hide Column. To choose a subset of columns, right-click a header, select Show Column and make your selection.
• To score an action of A directed to B, B must be defined as a modifier. You can therefore create a modifier group containing the names of your subjects that can be the receivers of an action. You can copy your list of subjects and paste them into a modifier group. The header Subject Name is also pasted. Right-click it and select Delete.
• You can create a coding scheme by importing a data file, for instance an ODX file from The Observer XT. In the coding scheme which you create in this way, all the subjects, behaviors and modifiers are ungrouped. This means that you may need to reorganize your coding scheme. Note that there are limits to the number of subjects, behaviors, and modifiers that you can import. You can only import files that comply with these restrictions.

Check Your Coding Scheme

Aim

To check whether the coding scheme is free of errors.

Background

You cannot carry out an observation when your coding scheme contains errors. When you have the Check Coding Scheme While Editing option selected in the Coding Scheme Settings window, a warning triangle appears in front of the coding scheme element as soon as you enter an element with an error. When you point with the mouse at an icon with a warning triangle, a description of the coding error pops up.

Procedure

For a detailed overview of the coding scheme errors, click the Check button. The window that opens lists all the errors in your coding scheme.

To Correct Coding Scheme Errors

1. Select an error to view a description of the problem.
2. Click the element to jump to it in the coding scheme, then correct it.
3. Click the Check Again button to check whether the errors were corrected successfully.
4. Click Close when all the errors are corrected.

Common Errors In The Coding Scheme

• Two or more subjects, behaviors or modifiers are given the same keycode, or the same name.
• A behavior or modifier group does not contain any elements.
• A mutually exclusive and exhaustive behavior group does not contain an Initial State event.
• You have selected the Use Pocket Observer With option in the Coding Scheme Settings and you have created a behavior group with only one behavior.
• You have selected the Use Pocket Observer With option in the Coding Scheme Settings and the element name exceeds 16 characters.

Edit The Coding Scheme

Add A Coding Scheme Element

• To add a subject, click the Add Subject button in the Subjects panel.
• To add a behavior or modifier, click first the group of behaviors or modifiers you want to add the element to, then click the Add button on top of the panel that applies.
• To add a behavior group or modifier group, click the Add Behavior Group or Add Modifier Group button.

Sort Coding Scheme Elements

You can change the order of the elements of your coding scheme for visualization purposes. For example, when creating a plot of the events, you may want to view the Verbal behaviors at the top and the Play behaviors at the bottom of the event plot. To change the order of elements or groups, click an element or group and drag it below the name of other elements or groups.

Edit A Coding Scheme Element

You can change the name and the properties of a coding scheme element at any time. Do this either in the coding scheme, or in its properties window. To open the properties window, select the element and click the Properties button at the bottom of your window. To move an element from one group to another, drag it to the name of the group where you want to place it.

Delete A Coding Scheme Element Or Group

You can only delete a coding scheme element or group when it has not been scored yet. Select the element and press Ctrl+Del. If you delete a group, you also delete the individual elements within that group.

When the element was scored in at least one observation, a question appears whether you want to inactivate it. If you want to delete the element anyway, you must first delete all the observations in which it was scored.

When a coding scheme element is set to inactive, it is not used anymore although it is still present in the coding scheme. An inactive element is grayed out in the coding scheme. If the element was already scored, it will remain present in the event log. However, it is not shown in the Codes window of new observations, so you cannot score it. In event plots and analysis results, the element is displayed as [Element Name] (Inactive). You can use the keycode of an inactive element for new elements. To reactivate an inactive element, right-click it and select Activate.