SR Research Experiment Builder is a graphical environment for creating psychology and neuroscience experiments on Windows and macOS. Installation involves configuring the network connection to the EyeLink Host PC and then downloading the software.
SR Research Experiment Builder is an intuitive, drag-and-drop graphical environment for creating computer-based psychology and neuroscience experiments. It runs on both Windows and macOS (see notes below).
Installation:
Configure Network Connection: Before installing, you must configure your Display PC's network connection to communicate with the EyeLink Host PC. Detailed instructions can be found in this guide: Download and Install: You can download the latest version of Experiment Builder for your operating system from our support forums: Software Licensing:
You need a license key to design and edit experiments in Experiment Builder, but you do not need a license to run a deployed experiment for data collection. You must also install the HASP driver. Also if you are using a software license key you may need to activate the key after installing the drivers.
When You Need a License (and When You Don't)
Experiment Builder requires a license for designing and editing experiments to prevent it from running in an unlicensed, demo mode.
For general licensing instructions, please refer to our license installation instructions.
Learning Experiment Builder:
You can learn Experiment Builder through our video tutorials for beginners, in-depth webinars on specific topics, and by exploring the pre-installed example projects. We offer several resources to help you master Experiment Builder, from general introductions to deep dives into specific topics.
Example Experiment Templates:
You can also find a large repository of Experiment Builder examples that implement particular research paradigms
Experiment Builder Project Checklist and Frequently Asked Questions:
Two key resources for troubleshooting Experiment Builder are the Project Checklist, found in the User Manual, and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on our support forums.
If you're encountering issues with your Experiment Builder project, the following resources can help you diagnose and solve the problem:
The Experiment Builder Life Cycle (from programming to data analysis):
Developing and running an experiment in Experiment Builder follows a clear, five-stage process:
macOS Notes:
Due to potential stimulus timing inconsistencies in recent macOS versions(> v10.12), we recommend using a Windows PC for data collection when precise timing is critical. Recent versions of macOS are still suitable for experiment development and debugging, but should be avoided for data collection.
SR Research Experiment Builder is an intuitive, drag-and-drop graphical environment for creating computer-based psychology and neuroscience experiments. It runs on both Windows and macOS (see notes below).
Installation:
Configure Network Connection: Before installing, you must configure your Display PC's network connection to communicate with the EyeLink Host PC. Detailed instructions can be found in this guide: Download and Install: You can download the latest version of Experiment Builder for your operating system from our support forums: Software Licensing:
You need a license key to design and edit experiments in Experiment Builder, but you do not need a license to run a deployed experiment for data collection. You must also install the HASP driver. Also if you are using a software license key you may need to activate the key after installing the drivers.
When You Need a License (and When You Don't)
Experiment Builder requires a license for designing and editing experiments to prevent it from running in an unlicensed, demo mode.
- ✓ You NEED a license for: Designing, building, or editing an experiment.
- ✗ You do NOT need a license for: Running a deployed experiment to collect data.
For general licensing instructions, please refer to our license installation instructions.
- Windows: After installing Experiment Builder, go to Start > SR Research > Install Hasp Driver.
- macOS: Open the Experiment Builder DMG file. Inside, navigate to the HASP folder and run the Sentinel Runtime.dmg installer.
Learning Experiment Builder:
You can learn Experiment Builder through our video tutorials for beginners, in-depth webinars on specific topics, and by exploring the pre-installed example projects. We offer several resources to help you master Experiment Builder, from general introductions to deep dives into specific topics.
- Experiment Builder Video Tutorials: This is the best starting point for a general overview of the basics. You can download the example project from the same link to follow along with the videos.
- Experiment Builder Webinars: These videos cover a range of topics, including introductory overviews, programming tips and tricks, and designing experiments for specific research areas like psycholinguistics and pupillometry.
- Pre-Installed Examples: A great way to learn is by exploring the example projects that come with Experiment Builder (File menu -> Examples). You can find detailed explanations of how these examples were created in the Experiment Builder User Manual (Help > Contents > Examples).
- Experiment Builder Examples: You can also find a large repository of Experiment Builder examples that implement particular research paradigms
Example Experiment Templates:
You can also find a large repository of Experiment Builder examples that implement particular research paradigms
Experiment Builder Project Checklist and Frequently Asked Questions:
Two key resources for troubleshooting Experiment Builder are the Project Checklist, found in the User Manual, and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on our support forums.
If you're encountering issues with your Experiment Builder project, the following resources can help you diagnose and solve the problem:
- Experiment Builder Project Checklist: This is the best place to start. The checklist is part of the Experiment Builder User Manual (accessible via Help > Contents) and provides a systematic way to check your project for common errors.
- Frequently Asked Questions for Experiment Builder (FAQ) : Our support forum has a dedicated FAQ section that addresses many common issues with programming and using Experiment Builder.
The Experiment Builder Life Cycle (from programming to data analysis):
Developing and running an experiment in Experiment Builder follows a clear, five-stage process:
- Experimental Design & Programming
In this first stage, you conceptualize your paradigm and use the drag-and-drop interface to build your experiment.
- Test-Running the Experiment
Use the Experiment > Test Run feature to quickly test, debug, and pilot your project from within the Experiment Builder interface.
Warning: Never use a Test Run for actual data collection. Its purpose is for debugging only. It is critical to pilot test the data file from a test run to ensure all the variables and measures you need are being recorded correctly.
- Experiment Deployment
Once your experiment is finalized, go to Experiment > Deploy. This creates a standalone, executable version of your experiment in its own folder. To run it, navigate to this folder and double-click the application file (.exe on Windows, .app on macOS).
Note: You do not need a license key to run a deployed experiment. A license is only required for the design and editing stages.
- Data Collection
Run the deployed experiment with your participants to collect data.
- Data Analysis
Analyze your collected data using Data Viewer or other software. For more information on analysis options, please see this guide:
macOS Notes:
Due to potential stimulus timing inconsistencies in recent macOS versions(> v10.12), we recommend using a Windows PC for data collection when precise timing is critical. Recent versions of macOS are still suitable for experiment development and debugging, but should be avoided for data collection.