QUALTRICS 101 - THE RANDOMISER FUNCTION, RUNNING EXPERIMENTS IN QUALTRICS

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Video X – Randomizer and Experiments

Summary of Topics Covered:

• Setting up an experimental design in Qualtrics

• Using the randomizer function to allocate participants

• Creating and using embedded data for group identification

• Handling pre- and post-measurements in experiments

Script:

Hi, I’m Dr. Alex Russell from the Experimental Gambling Research Lab at CQUniversity Australia. In this video, I’ll show you a very basic way to do an experiment within Qualtrics using the randomizer function. Let’s get into it!

Our experimental design is going to be relatively simple, something we use quite often. We’re going to ask participants some pre-measures (could be scales or whatever you need for your area), then randomly allocate them to one of three conditions: condition 1, condition 2, or a control group. Finally, we’ll ask them the same questions post-intervention. This design allows us to measure changes from pre to post and determine if the difference depends on the group.

Here’s how the survey is set up:

1. Intro and Consent: Participants get all the information they need before consenting to the study.

2. Screening Questions: Ensures that only eligible participants take part.

3. Basic Demographics: Collects basic participant information.

4. Pre-Measures: Initial measurements before the intervention.

For this example, I’m using a study on reducing gambling-related stigma. We’ll have three blocks: one for each condition and a control. The blocks could contain anything: different videos, tasks, or questions. In this case, we used videos: an advocacy video, a contact video, and a control video.

To set up random allocation, go to Survey Flow and add a Randomizer element. This function will randomly allocate participants to one of the conditions. However, because we’re not collecting data during the random allocation (just showing videos), we need to capture which group participants are in using embedded data.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Add a Group element for each condition.

2. Move the corresponding block into each group.

3. Add embedded data to each group to capture the group name and number. For example:

• Group 1: Advocacy (group name = “Advocacy”, group number = 1)

• Group 2: Contact (group name = “Contact”, group number = 2)

• Group 3: Control (group name = “Control”, group number = 3)

Move these groups under the Randomizer. Ensure the Randomizer is set to present one of the elements randomly. You can also choose to evenly present elements to balance group sizes.

After the random allocation, participants will go through the post-measures block, which is placed under the main survey branch.

This setup allows us to run a simple experiment in Qualtrics by randomly allocating participants to different conditions and capturing their group information for analysis. You can get more complex with nested randomizers and additional conditions as needed.

If you have any questions about this process, please leave a comment below. I’m always happy to create videos on topics you’re interested in. Until next time, I’m Dr. Alex Russell from the Experimental Gambling Research Lab at CQUniversity. See you next time!