Using a single test

To use one test in your study, add it to a battery on its own and generate a link. The orange outlines in the pictures show what to click.

1. Click Catalog at the top of the page.

   

2. Find the test you want and click Configure & add on its card.

   

3. Keep the recommended settings, or change them (for example, the number of items or the time per item). Then click Add to battery. This takes you to the Battery page.

   

4. Type a name for the battery in Battery name.

   

5. Click Generate pilot link to try the test yourself first. When you are ready to collect data, click Generate final link.

   

6. Click copy next to the link and send it to your participants, for example in Prolific, SONA, Qualtrics or an email.

   

7. Their results appear on your Projects page, where you can download the data.

Using multiple tests

To build a battery of several tests, add each test, set the order, and generate one link that runs them all.

1. Add your first test as above: Catalog → Configure & add → Add to battery.
2. To add the next test, click + Add another test on the Battery page (or Catalog at the top) and repeat. Each test has its own settings.
3. Set the order on the Battery page: drag a test up or down the list, or click the arrows above and below its number. Participants take the tests from top to bottom.

   

4. To put a test in a random position for each participant, switch on Random position on its card on the Battery page; its number ring turns dashed. Items within each test are shown in random order unless you turn off Randomize item order in the test's settings.

   

5. Attention checks can be used to catch low-effort participants. Switch on one or more Attention checks on the Battery page. Use ⚙ Settings to change the message shown between tests.

   

6. Click Save to keep a draft. Then click Generate pilot link to try it, or Generate final link to collect data, and send the link to participants.

Create a custom test

To create a test from your own images or from an existing paper-and-pencil test, upload a picture of each item and draw a box over each answer choice. Every item needs the same layout, with the answer choices in the same places.

1. Click Create test at the top of the page.
2. Choose how participants answer: Multiple choice (one correct box), Multiple selections (two correct boxes), Same/different (pairs of boxes) or Fill in the blank (a typed answer). Then click Upload image and choose one of your item images. You use it to mark where the answer choices are.

   

3. If the image is a scan or a photocopy, click Clean up image… to straighten, crop and tidy it. The same clean-up is applied to all your item images.

   

4. Draw a box over each answer choice: drag across empty space to draw a box, drag a box to move it, and drag a corner to resize it. Boxes are lettered A, B, C… in the order you draw them. Then click Upload items & tag and choose all of your item images at once.

   

5. For each item, click the correct box (two boxes for multiple selections, or type the answer for fill in the blank). It turns green. Then click Next item. If an item's choices sit slightly differently, drag its boxes into place. On the last item the button says Finish.

   

6. Give the test a Test name and a short Description, check the list of items, and click Save test.

   

7. Your test now appears in the Catalog with an Only you badge. Add it to a battery like any other test. Only you can see it unless an administrator adds it to the shared catalog.

Recommendations

• The catalog versions are refined, shortened tests. These tests were refined using item response theory (IRT). The standard version of each test in the catalog is the refined, shortened version. See Psychometrics on each test and the Literature page for the studies.
• Give a generous time limit for each item. We recommend a generous time limit per item, such as 1 minute per item, instead of one time limit for the whole test.
• Use reliable measures. It is important to measure spatial ability with reliable tests. These tests have been shown to have high internal reliability.
• Combine three tests. We recommend using three tests together as a combined measure of spatial visualization ability.

More detailed recommendations are coming soon.