Knowledge Base

Project Settings

Choose Setup > Project Settings. The following settings are available:

• Coding Scheme Settings
• Observation Settings
• Time Formats
• Scoring Options
• Sound Feedback
• Playback Control Options

Coding Scheme Settings

Choose Setup > Project Settings > Coding Scheme Settings. Specify the following options:

• Keycodes Are Required – Select this option to code your observations by pressing keys on the keyboard and not with mouse clicks on the screen.
• Case-Sensitive Codes Are Allowed – Select this option to distinguish between upper-case (capital letters) and lower-case (small letters) codes. Selecting this option gives the possibility to define more elements, but using capitals will slow down your scoring.
• Generate Keycodes Automatically – Select this option if you want the keycodes for your subjects, behaviors, and modifiers to be generated automatically while building your coding scheme. If your project contains Start-Stop behaviors, choose from the Generate Stop Codes list how to generate these automatically:
  • Same As Start Code – For instance, 'w' for start and stop walking.
  • Switch Case of Start Code – For instance, 'w' for start walking and 'W' for stop walking. Note that it is only possible to have case-sensitive keycodes if you have the option Case-Sensitive Keycodes Are Allowed selected.
• Default Keycode Length – The keycode length for keycodes that are automatically generated.
• Check Coding Scheme While Editing – When this option is selected, you get visual feedback when you make a mistake while editing the coding scheme. A warning triangle in the icon in front of the coding element warns you when the element contains an error. When you point with the mouse at an icon with a warning triangle, a description of the coding error pops up. Click the Check Coding Scheme button at the top of the coding scheme screen for more detailed information on the errors. See Check Your Coding Scheme.
• Use Pocket Observer With... – When you want to send your coding scheme to Pocket Observer and score data on a Pocket PC, your coding scheme must be compatible with Pocket Observer. See the Pocket Observer Reference Manual for more information.

Observation Settings

Choose Setup > Project Settings. The Project Settings window appears with the Observation Settings tab open. The following options are available:

• Observation Base Name – Type a common name for your observations. The default base name is Observation. The observations will be named <Base Name> 1, <Base Name> 2, etc., unless you give them another name when you start an observation.
• Prompt for Confirmation to End Observation – Keep this option selected if you want The Observer XT to ask you whether you really want to end the observation when you stop it.
• Edit Independent Variables – Specify whether to enter the values of independent variables before, after, or both before and after the observation. Select Hide 'Manual' Variables if you want The Observer XT not to show variables that are specified as Manual in the Value Update field of the independent variables list. If you select this option and all user-defined variables are defined as Manual, the Independent Variables List is not shown at the start or end of the observation. If at least one of the variables is defined as Optional or Compulsory, the variable list is shown at the start or end of the observation, but the Manual variables are hidden.

Time Formats

Choose Setup > Project Settings > Time Formats to change the time format. The time format is used in the Event Log window, File Synchronization window, Timers window, Playback Control window, Visualization, and the Analysis Results.

• Time Formats – Select the preferred format and decimals.
• Project Time Format – Select either Absolute (the actual time during observing) or Relative (the time from the start of the observation). If you select a format with AM or PM notation, it may happen that you do not see this in the event log. This is caused by the settings of Windows for your clock time. To change these settings, click the clock in the lower-right corner of your screen, then click Change Date and Time Settings > Change Date and Time > Change Calendar Settings > Time. After AM Symbol choose AM and after PM Symbol choose PM.
• Show Date with Absolute Times – Select this option to include the date in the time stamps.
• Show Frame Numbers While Observing from Video – Select this option to display frame numbers in the event log instead of times.

Scoring Options

Choose Setup > Project Settings > Scoring Options. The following options are available:

• Auto Record Subject – Select this to score the same subject for consecutive events. Use this option when you score from video, have multiple subjects, and go through the video for every subject. As soon as you want to enter the event for a different subject, click the cell where the subject was entered automatically, and score the new subject, the behavior, and so on. The new subject is then scored for all subsequent events.
• Pause Playback When Scoring an Event – With this option the video pauses when you score the first element of an event. Playback resumes after scoring the last element of the event or pressing Enter to confirm the event line. When you carry out an offline observation with the Instantaneous Sampling method, the media file automatically stops at the moment of sampling. This option is also very useful if you score from audio files and you want to transcribe spoken text into comments.
• Always Press Enter to Confirm Event Line – An event can consist of more than one element (Subject, Behavior, Modifier). By default, The Observer XT automatically ends the coding of the event and moves to the next line in the event log when no further elements can be scored for that event. By selecting Press Enter to Confirm Event Line, you can press Enter once you have scored all the elements you require. This way, you can end an event when not all elements have been scored. For example, an event type where the Behavior is linked to a Modifier could be ended by scoring the Behavior and then pressing Enter; the Modifier is then not scored.
• Repeated Scoring of Active Behaviors – Suppose an event started at the start of the observation and you score it again at ten seconds without having scored intermediate events. Select one of the options below to specify how both states are recorded:
  • Allow Repeated Scoring of Active Behaviors – The Observer XT records the end of the first event at T=10s and starts the same behavior at this point, meaning two different states are recorded: one from T=0 to T=10 and one from T=10 to the stop of this event. The frequency of this event would be 2. If the second event is stopped at T=15, the average duration will be 7.5 s.
  • Ignore Repeated Scoring of Active Behaviors – The Observer XT ignores the second start of the event at T=10s and gives an error message. With the example above, the frequency of the event will be 1 and the average duration 15 s.
  • Ask Me for Repeated Scoring of Active Behaviors – Select this option if you want The Observer XT to ask you what you want to do, whether to allow or to ignore the recurring start.