FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need the Authorware Web Player?	The Web Player serves the same role as a runtime player. It enables you to run code that was created using a program that you don't own. (FYI:The current web player for Authorware is the same as the old Shockwave for Authorware plug-in. Macromedia has simply changed the name from plug-in to web player. You will not notice any difference in your web browser and there will not be a separate program called web player. It will simply allow your web browser to use Authorware files.)
I am unable to run your experiments on my Mac.	Unfortunately, the latest version of the Authorware webplayer 7.0 will not run older versions of the programs written in Authorware 6.0 or 6.5 on Mac OS 10. We are in the process of updating all of our experiments to Authorware 7.0 and when that is complete this will no longer be an issue. In the meantime, you should be able to run the programs if you boot up to classic mode (which is the older operating system on the Mac).
I've installed the Authorware Web Player, but things still don't work.	1. Be sure you are using the browser in which you installed the Web Player. You may have downloaded the Player using Internet Explorer, installed it in Internet Explorer, and then tried to access the experiments using Netscape. The Player must be in the browser you are using to access PsychExperiments. 2.If you downloaded the Player with Netscape and then installed that version of the Player in Internet Explorer, the Player will not work in Internet Explorer. You need to make the download in the browser you plan to use for running the experiments. (The IE player is an Active-X version and different from the Netscape version.) 3.If all else fails, try clearing your cache. If you are unfamiliar with how to do this, you can follow the instructions at the following links. Internet Explorer Users Click Here and Netscape Users Click Here
How do I get my data?	There is a Download Data link on the homepage. For step-by-step instructions, click here.
How do I analyze my data once I have downloaded it?	The data can be downloaded in comma separated format (i.e., a .csv file) using the download link that is accessible on the home page. To analyze the data, we have developed a generic macro that processes the data in meaningful ways. The macro can be downloaded at the same time as the data. Read about about how to use the macro here.
I downloaded data, clicked on the .csv file that contains the data, and got a spreadsheet that contained only part of the data.	If you have Excel on your computer, a *.csv (comma separated) file will--by default--be opened by Excel. Excel has a 256 column limit to spreadsheets. Many of our datasets exceed that limit in their raw form. To get all of the data in raw form, use a spreadsheet with no column limit (e.g., QuattroPro) or a text editor like Word Pad. We recommend, however, that even those who want to work with the data in their raw form should begin by using our macro (PE_Data_Analysis.xls). You can cut and paste from the output of the macro to enter data in the analysis program of your choice.
I have an old Player. Do I have to upgrade it?	Macromedia makes frequent improvements so the safe thing to do is to re-install the Player as a first step when any problem arises in running experiments. We can design our start pages to detect old Players for Internet Explorer users but not for Netscape users.
What browsers are supported?	Internet Explorer and Netscape. Linux and Unix are not supported.
How much RAM is needed?	PCs need at least 16 MB of RAM. for best operation of the shocked files. Mac users who experience "out of memory errors" should set their virtual memory to on at the default value
What do I need to do my own authoring?	The experiments here were created with Macromedia's Authorware 5.1 and 6.0 Professional version (for non-profit and academic users).
How do I add a link to my site that offers cognitive psychology experiments?	For now, please e-mail us at E-mail: PsychExps@olemiss.edu and we'll be happy to add you to the links page. Later we hope to be able to automate this process.
How good are the timing data?	Our experiments that use timed displays and responses produce data identical to the data generated using dedicated laboratory computers and locally executed exe files. In addition we have conducted tests of the accuracy of keystroke interval measurements. The tests indicate millisecond accuracy for better than 90% of the measurements. Contact pymcgraw@olemiss.edu to get copies of two papers we have prepared that address timing issues.
I hear that Authorware costs over $2000?	The commercial version of Authorware is prohibitively expensive for academics, but Macromedia offers educational pricing that makes Authorware available for $349 (or even less if you use the resellers listed at Macromedia's site. The page linked here gives resellers.