Skip to main content

Interactive Language Learning Experiment

Department​

Linguistics

Summary​

The researcher wanted to use an online platform to run an interactive experiment with two subjects remotely. The experiment needed to teach both subjects the words of a new language and then allow the subjects to describe images to their partner using the new language in a web browser. The Research Software Programming team was able to adapt the existing version of the researcher’s experiment to implement an online, multi-subject version using the LIONESS Lab platform.

Key benefits to the lab​

  • Helped the researcher continue to conduct research activities during COVID restrictions.
  • Provided and managed hosting of the experiment, returning the time spent learning how to host the experiment back to the researcher.
  • Saved researcher time and effort by investigating, implementing, and managing the hosting platform for the online version of the experiment.

Details​

The researcher had previously created a PsychoPy experiment to teach an individual subject a new language and collect the subject’s descriptions of a series of images. Her goal was to assess whether the subject had a preferred sentence structure when describing the images. Eventually, the researcher decided to extend this experiment to include paired subjects for interactive learning. The subjects completed a training portion within the experiment in order to learn words associated with images, followed by a set of test trials to assess how well they learned the language. During the interactive portion of the experiment, one of the subjects was asked to describe a previously viewed image to their partner in the new language. The other subject was then asked to select that image from a set of options based on their partner’s description.

As it was impossible to conduct in-person experiments at the time due to COVID-19 restrictions, the researcher decided to run the experiment online. She proposed using the LIONESS platform, which is designed to allow interaction between multiple subjects performing a task. Our team reworked the PsychoPy experiment to run online and added the interactive learning portion. We worked with the LSA Instructure team to provide a server to host the experiment. The team extended the LIONESS functionality to allow for data to be recorded during non-interactive trials as well as smaller quality of life improvements such as the ability to switch between experimental control files from the LIONESS control panel. Ultimately, the researcher was able to distribute the interactive experiment and gather results while working entirely remotely.