Knowledge Base

Modifiers

What Are Modifiers?

Modifiers can be attached to behaviors and are used to limit the scope of a behavior. Like behaviors, modifiers are defined in groups. You assign a modifier group to one or more behaviors.

Scoring modifiers involves making extra keystrokes. If you have a simple coding scheme without numerical data, it can be better to define more behaviors and not use modifiers. For example, use two behaviors — Play Alone and Play in a Group — instead of one behavior "Play" with two modifiers (Alone and In a Group) attached.

Examples of Modifiers

• Child Behavior Study – To describe the object being played with, a modifier group "Object" is defined that includes the elements Cards, Ball, and Castle for the behavior Play.
• Usability Study – To describe the type of error by the test participant, a modifier group "Error Type" is defined that includes Wrong Value and Wrong Weblink for the behavior User Error.
• Aggression in Lobsters – To describe the level of aggressiveness in territorial interactions, a modifier group "Level" is defined that includes the values 0 to 5.

Modifier Group Types

Modifier groups can be nominal (text) or numerical (numbers).

• For nominal modifiers you can calculate the same descriptive statistics as for behaviors, such as mean duration and frequency.
• For numerical modifiers you can calculate additional statistics such as average and other numerical statistics of the numbers scored. For example, the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 2 scored in an observation result in Total Number = 8, Average = 2, Minimum = 1, and Maximum = 3.

Define Modifiers

Aim

To specify the modifiers attached to a behavior.

Prerequisites

• Your Coding Scheme is open. If this is not the case, choose Setup > Open Coding Scheme.
• The Modifiers pane is shown. If this is not the case, choose View Settings > Modifiers.

Procedure for Nominal Modifiers

1. Click the Add Modifier Group button.
2. Choose Add Nominal Modifier Group.
3. Give the modifier group a name and, optionally, select the following:
   • Mutually Exclusive – Select this for a mutually exclusive group. If you select this option, you can only score one modifier at a time for that group; you cannot score two or more modifiers from the same group for a specific event.
   • Modifier Group Must Be Scored – Selecting this option makes scoring a modifier compulsory when you score the associated behavior.
4. Enter the modifiers in the Value fields.
5. Define to which behavior the modifier group should be attached in the Link to Behaviors field.

Procedure for Numerical Modifiers

1. Click the Add Modifier Group button.
2. Choose Add Numerical Modifier Group.
3. Give the modifier group a name and define the keycode to activate this modifier group. From the Values list, select one of the following:
   • Predefined Values – Make a list of predefined options from which to choose. For example, for the modifier group Aggression Level, you want the observer to choose between 0, 1, 2, and 3.
   • Range of Values – Score the modifier by entering a value between a minimum and a maximum value. For example, for the modifier group Speed, you want the observer to score a value between a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 150 with a precision of 1 decimal.
4. Define to which behavior the modifier group should be attached in the Link to Behaviors field.

Define Modifier (Group) Properties

Aim

To specify details for the modifier group or modifier.

Modifier Group Properties

Open the Modifier Group Properties pane by selecting the group name and clicking the Properties button at the bottom of the screen. Enter the following details:

• Description – Optionally add a description to your modifier group in the Description field (maximum 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.
• Inactive – Select this checkbox if you want to make the modifier group inactive when you do not want to use it anymore. See Edit a Coding Scheme Element After Observing in Carry Out an Observation.
• Modifiers – Select to which behaviors the modifier group should be attached.

Modifier Properties

Open the Modifier Properties pane by selecting the modifier name and clicking the Properties button at the bottom of the screen.