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A new tool for equating lexical stimuli across experimental conditions
- Source :
- MethodsX, Vol 8, Iss, Pp 101545-(2021), MethodsX
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2021.
-
Abstract
- In cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics, lexical characteristics can drive large effects, which can create confounds when word stimuli are intended to be unrelated to the effect of interest. Thus, it is critical to control for these potential confounds. As an alternative to randomly assigning word bank items to stimulus lists, we present LIBRA (Lexical Item Balancing & Resampling Algorithm), a MATLAB-based toolbox for quickly generating stimulus lists of user-determined length and number that can be closely equated on any number of lexical properties. The toolbox comprises two scripts: a genetic algorithm that performs the inter-list balancing, and a tool for filtering/trimming long omnibus word lists based on simple criteria, prior to balancing. Relying on randomized procedures often results in substantially unbalanced experimental conditions, but our method guarantees that the lists used for each experimental condition contain no meaningful differences. Thus, the lexical characteristics of the specific words used will add an absolute minimum of bias/noise to the experiment in which they are applied.•Our toolbox balances word lists for arbitrary lexical properties to control confounds in cognitive psychology research.•Our toolbox performs more efficiently than pure randomization or balancing manually.•A graphical user interface is provided for ease of use.<br />Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract
- Subjects :
- Computer science
Science
Clinical Biochemistry
Lexical
computer.software_genre
Psycholinguistics
Lexical item
Cognitive psychology
Resampling
Wordlist
Equating
Lexical Item Balancing & Resampling Algorithm (LIBRA)
business.industry
English Lexicon Project
Usability
Method Article
Toolbox
Medical Laboratory Technology
Genetic algorithm
Scripting language
Artificial intelligence
business
computer
Word (computer architecture)
Natural language processing
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 22150161
- Volume :
- 8
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- MethodsX
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....6badfe10adb01d336eece4c75bd1c586