Text Stimuli

Version: v1 (current)

Display text content (words, sentences, paragraphs, stories) to participants during research studies.

Overview

The Text stimuli task presents standardized text passages to participants for reading, comprehension, or priming purposes. Content is authored with a rich text editor supporting bold, lists, headings, links, and embedded images or video. The content is saved as HTML and rendered as-is during the task.

Common research uses include:

Memory encoding: Read a story, then answer questions about it later
Priming: Show word lists or priming passages before another task
Reading comprehension: Present passages for comprehension testing
Instruction displays: Task-specific detailed instructions beyond the standard instructions task

Where to Configure

Study form → Tasks → Stimuli tasks → Text → Configure.

Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Stimuli Text (`stimuli_text`)	string (HTML)	''	Rich text content authored via the Quill editor and rendered as HTML during the task
Minimum Dwell Time (`min_dwell_ms`)	number (ms)	0	Minimum time the text must stay on screen before the continue button appears, so participants cannot skip ahead too quickly. Set to 0 to disable (button available immediately). Maximum 600000 (10 minutes). Only meaningful when there is text to read.
Show Mic Meter (`text_show_mic_meter`)	boolean	false	Shows a cue-only microphone level meter (icon + level bars) while the text is displayed, as a visible sign that the microphone is active. This is a visual cue only — it never records or transcribes; the session recording already captures audio.
Auto-Advance Time (`text_auto_advance_ms`)	number (ms)	0	Optional maximum time the text stays on screen before the task automatically advances past the continue button. Set to 0 to disable auto-advance entirely. When set above 0, the effective delay is never earlier than the Minimum Dwell Time, so auto-advance can never fire before the continue button could appear.
Show Countdown (`text_show_countdown`)	boolean	false	Shows a "Time remaining" countdown to the auto-advance time. Only shown when Auto-Advance Time is greater than 0.
Main Instructions (`main_instructions`)	string (HTML)	''	Instructions shown on a dedicated page before the stimulus
Hint Instructions (`hint_instructions`)	string (HTML)	''	Quick-reference help text available during the task

Beyond the fields above, the configuration form exposes no font-size, text-alignment, button-text, or background-color settings for this task. The continue button label comes from the shared task meta.next text, not a per-task parameter. Under strict moderator control, the auto-advance timer still runs (it governs stimulus timing, not participant progression); only the participant's own continue button is hidden.

Participant Flow

The participant sees the text content displayed on screen. If the mic meter is enabled, a live microphone level indicator appears alongside the text.
If a minimum dwell time is set, the continue button stays hidden until that time has elapsed, so the participant cannot skip ahead. Once available, the task is self-paced: the participant reads and clicks the continue button to advance. Reading time is recorded automatically.
If an auto-advance time is configured, the task automatically continues once that time elapses (even if the participant has not clicked the continue button). When the countdown display is enabled, the participant sees the remaining time counting down.

Design Recommendations

Contrast: Ensure high contrast between text and background.
Length: Keep passages concise and legible; pretest reading time for your target audience.
Formatting: Author content carefully in the rich text editor; what you author is rendered as-is.
Reading tasks: The task is self-paced, so participants control when they finish.

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue	Solution
Participants skip without reading	Set a Minimum Dwell Time so the continue button only appears after a chosen delay; you can also add a comprehension check afterward
HTML formatting not rendering	Ensure valid HTML in the rich text editor; test rendering in preview mode

Data Output

Markers and Responses

Markers (stimulus_shown) — emitted when the text is first shown:

{
  "type": "stimulus_shown",
  "ts": "2024-01-01T00:00:01.000Z",
  "hr": 1234.56,
  "data": {
    "type": "text",
    "text": "<p>Read the following passage carefully...</p>"
  }
}

Markers (next_button_shown) — emitted the moment the continue button becomes available (the minimum-dwell gate lifted). It records the configured minimum and the actual elapsed time, and is emitted on every run (with a near-zero elapsed time when no minimum is set):

{
  "type": "next_button_shown",
  "ts": "2024-01-01T00:00:04.000Z",
  "hr": 4234.56,
  "data": {
    "min_dwell_ms": 3000,
    "elapsed_ms": 3005
  }
}

This task records a single-grain response (no response_recorded marker is emitted; that marker only fires for trial- or sequence-grain tasks).

Response Data — recorded when the participant clicks continue:

{
  "type": "text",
  "stimulus_text": "<p>Read the following passage carefully...</p>",
  "viewing_time_ms": 7000,
  "responded": true
}

Summary Artifact

None. The text stimulus task does not generate a summary artifact.

References

References depend on specific stimuli used. For general text presentation in research:

Foroni, F., & Semin, G. R. (2009). Language that puts you in touch with your bodily feelings: The multimodal responsiveness of affective expressions. Psychological Science, 20(8), 974-980.

Verbal stimuli databases:

ANEW: Affective Norms for English Words
MRC: MRC Psycholinguistic Database (word properties)
SUBTLEX: Word frequencies from subtitles

Overview​

Where to Configure​

Configuration Parameters​

Participant Flow​

Design Recommendations​

Common Issues and Solutions​

Data Output​

Markers and Responses​

Summary Artifact​

References​

See Also​