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AUTHORWARE GUIDE FOR RESEARCHERS
Daniël Lakens
Version 2.3Last update: 31-5-2009
Published under a creative commons license:.© 2005-2009 Daniël Lakens
 
 
 
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Contents
Contents ..................................................................................................................... 1Introduction ................................................................................................................. 21. So, when do I get to program something? .............................................................. 3
Where you will learn the basics of Authorware and the main interface
2. So now what? ....................................................................................................... 11
Where you will change the standard settings of your experiment 
3. Boooooooooring. .................................................................................................. 12
Where you will use radio buttons and the decision icon
4. Hey, this is really a lot of work! ............................................................................. 19
Where the functions of the Text Entry are explained
5. Maybe I prefer paper and pencil tasks. ................................................................. 22
Where you will make a standard instruction display and use the wait icon
6. So am I pretty good now, or what? ....................................................................... 28
Where you build your first questionnaire
7. Authorware programming is a piece of cake! ........................................................ 34
Where the functions and variables are introduced
8. Riiiiiiight. Do I look like a nerd to you? .................................................................. 39
Where all different time-related programming is shown
9. Everything I made looks so… plain. ..................................................................... 44
Where looks do matter and the conditional response is put into practice
10. Lights, Camera, Action! ...................................................................................... 49
Where Hollywood meets the laboratory and we insert video’s in our program
11. How about that questionnaire I made? ............................................................... 53
Where you are shown the functionality of loops
12. Ok, now give me something difficult. .................................................................. 57
Where we wander around in the wonderful world of lists
13. Is that the best you can do? ................................................................................ 63
Where the navigation through the experiment is broadened
14. So long, and thanks for all the fish!..................................................................... 70
Where the safe storage of your data is ensured
15. No Authorware program is an island................................................................... 75
Where your experiments learns to communicate with other experiments and pc’s
16. How about packaging? ....................................................................................... 79
Where the ins and outs of distributing an experiment are discussed
17. Bugger! ............................................................................................................... 81
Where advice is given on how to debug your experiment 
Appendix 1: The Best of Both Worlds ....................................................................... 85
Where we combine E-Prime and Medialab with Authorware for RT research
Appendix 2: Experimenting Online ........................................................................... 88
Where we get our experiment out of the lab and on internet 
 
 
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INTRODUCTION
elcome to this introduction to programming experiments in Authorware. Using acomputer to administer experiments has several advantages over paper andpencil tasks. First, all data is directly stored on the computer, and importing the datain statistical software like SPSS is very easy. Second, experiments programmed inAuthorware allow a great deal of interactivity in instructions and tasks based on par-ticipants choices and answers. Third, it can make experiments more enjoyable forparticipants.All examples in this guide are based on Authorware 7.02 but most will work with olderversions of the program as well. I will use a lot of examples to teach you the basics ofprogramming in Authorware. The examples build on each other, so it is advisable tostart with the first chapter and work your way through to the last one, even if you al-ready have some basic skills in Authorware programming. Tips are given in all chap-ters which could be useful even if you know the basics.This guide is not a reference manual; it is a workbook. You follow all examples stepby step, read the explanations and learn the basics of making experiments in Author-ware. There will be situations where you will need Authorware to do something I havenot discussed here; in most cases, it will be possible to program Authorware the wayyou want, but the commands needed are too specific for this guide. In the last chap-ter, I will give you some advice on where to look for help in those situations.Always remember that the only real way to learn Authorware is by programming ex-periments yourself. A good start will get you a long way, and in my own personalview, this Authorware Guide is the best introduction to programming experiments inAuthorware you can get.I’d like to thank my colleagues Chris Reinders Folmer for his excellent help and com-ments, and Wilco van Dijk for giving me the time to work on this guide. If you havecomments, suggestions, questions or want to report some errors, feel free to mail toLakens@gmail.com.P.S. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions for improvements. Small updatesare added about twice a year – checkhttp://lakens.googlepages.com/home for the latest version and some useful pre-programmed Authorware pieces.
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