HSPARC

Researcher Mode

Researcher Mode provides tools for reviewing recorded sessions, analyzing synchronized data, and exporting datasets for statistical analysis.

When to Use Researcher Mode

Use Researcher Mode when you want to:

  • Review recorded sessions with synchronized playback
  • Visualize participant input alongside video
  • Compare multiple participants or sessions
  • Export data for analysis in SPSS, R, Excel, or other tools
  • Generate summary statistics and reports

Accessing Your Data

Opening Researcher Mode

From the main menu, select Researcher Mode.

Browsing Sessions

Sessions are organized by:

  • Date — When the session was recorded
  • Type — Recorder sessions vs. Observer sessions
  • Session ID — Your assigned identifiers
  • Status — Complete, partial, or flagged for review

Use the search bar to find specific sessions by ID or date range.

Session Playback

Opening a Session

  1. Select a session from the list
  2. Click Open or double-click
  3. The playback interface loads

Playback Interface

The playback screen shows:

Element Description
Video Player Main video display with standard controls
Input Trace Graph showing controller input over time
Timeline Scrubber with event markers indicated
Data Panel Current values at playhead position

Playback Controls

Control Function
Space Play/Pause
←/→ Skip back/forward 5 seconds
Shift + ←/→ Skip back/forward 30 seconds
,/. Step back/forward one frame
Home Jump to beginning
End Jump to end
1-9 Set playback speed (1=0.25x, 5=1x, 9=2x)

Input Trace Visualization

The input trace graph displays:

  • Y-Axis Input — Primary measure (typically shown in blue)
  • X-Axis Input — Secondary measure (typically shown in green)
  • Event Markers — Vertical lines at marked moments
  • Playhead — Current position indicator

Customizing the Trace View

  • Zoom — Scroll wheel to zoom timeline in/out
  • Pan — Click and drag to move along timeline
  • Scale — Adjust Y-axis scale for better visualization
  • Smooth — Apply smoothing filter to reduce noise

Analyzing Data

Session Statistics

View automatically calculated statistics:

Statistic Description
Mean Average input value across session
Std Dev Standard deviation of input
Min/Max Range of values
Time Positive Duration input was above neutral
Time Negative Duration input was below neutral
Crossings Number of times input crossed neutral

Segment Analysis

Analyze specific portions of a session:

  1. Set In Point (press I or click [)
  2. Set Out Point (press O or click ])
  3. Click Analyze Segment
  4. Statistics update for selected range only

Event-Based Analysis

If you marked events during recording:

  1. Click Events tab
  2. See list of all markers with timestamps
  3. Click any event to jump to that moment
  4. Event Windows — Analyze fixed time windows around each event

Comparing Data

Within-Session Comparison

For sessions with two participants:

  1. Open the session
  2. Both input traces display simultaneously
  3. View correlation statistics between participants
  4. Toggle individual traces on/off for clarity

Cross-Session Comparison

Compare multiple sessions:

  1. Select multiple sessions (Ctrl+click or Shift+click)
  2. Click Compare
  3. Choose comparison type:
    • Overlay — Stack traces on same timeline
    • Side-by-Side — Synchronized playback in parallel
    • Statistics — Table comparing metrics

Observer vs. Original

For Observer Mode sessions linked to Recorder sessions:

  1. Open the Observer session
  2. Click Load Original
  3. Original participant input appears alongside observer input
  4. Analyze perception accuracy, lag, convergence

Exporting Data

Quick Export

For a single session:

  1. Open the session
  2. Click Export
  3. Choose format and options
  4. Click Export

Batch Export

For multiple sessions:

  1. Select sessions to export
  2. Click Batch Export
  3. Configure options
  4. Choose destination folder
  5. Click Export All

Export Formats

Format Best For
CSV Universal compatibility, R, Python
SPSS (.sav) Direct import to SPSS
Excel (.xlsx) Excel analysis, sharing
JSON Programming, custom analysis

Export Options

Option Description
Time Format Milliseconds, seconds, or timecode
Include Video Frames Add frame numbers to each row
Resample Rate Change sampling frequency (e.g., 60Hz → 10Hz)
Include Metadata Add session info as header rows
Merge Participants Combine P1 and P2 into single file

Data Structure

Exported CSV files contain:

timestamp_ms,frame,y_axis,x_axis,buttons,event
0,0,0.00,0.00,0,
16,1,0.02,0.00,0,
33,2,0.05,0.01,0,
...
15234,914,0.45,-0.12,0,EventA
15250,915,0.47,-0.10,0,

Managing Sessions

Editing Session Info

Update session metadata:

  1. Select session
  2. Click Edit Info
  3. Modify Session ID, notes, or flags
  4. Click Save

Flagging Sessions

Mark sessions for follow-up:

  • Flag for Review — Needs quality check
  • Flag as Excluded — Exclude from analysis
  • Flag as Complete — Verified and ready

Deleting Sessions

Remove sessions you no longer need:

  1. Select session(s)
  2. Click Delete
  3. Confirm deletion

Warning: Deletion is permanent. Export data before deleting if you might need it later.

Generating Reports

Session Report

Generate a PDF summary of a session:

  1. Open session
  2. Click Generate Report
  3. Choose sections to include:
    • Session information
    • Statistics summary
    • Input trace graphs
    • Event list
  4. Click Generate

Batch Report

Create reports for multiple sessions:

  1. Select sessions
  2. Click Batch Report
  3. Choose report format
  4. Generate individual reports or combined summary

Backup and Storage

Study Key Management

  • Check Capacity — View used/available space
  • Clean Up — Remove temporary files
  • Verify Integrity — Check for data corruption

Exporting for Backup

For long-term storage:

  1. Select all sessions to back up
  2. Click Export Archive
  3. Choose destination (external drive, network location)
  4. Archive includes all data in recoverable format

Importing Archives

Restore previously exported archives:

  1. Click Import Archive
  2. Select archive file
  3. Choose sessions to import
  4. Sessions appear in your library

Best Practices

Data Quality

  • Review samples — Spot-check sessions before batch analysis
  • Check for artifacts — Watch for disconnection gaps or drift
  • Verify synchronization — Confirm input aligns with video events

Organization

  • Use consistent naming — Establish Session ID conventions
  • Add notes promptly — Document context while fresh
  • Flag systematically — Use flags to track analysis progress

Backup Strategy

  • Export regularly — Don't let data accumulate only on Study Key
  • Multiple copies — Keep backups in separate locations
  • Verify backups — Periodically test that exports are readable

Troubleshooting

Session won't open

  • Check Study Key is inserted
  • Verify session files aren't corrupted
  • Try restarting HSPARC software

Video and input out of sync

  • Session may have had recording issues
  • Use manual offset adjustment in playback settings
  • Check original recording for problems

Export fails

  • Verify destination has sufficient space
  • Check write permissions on destination
  • Try exporting to different location

For more solutions, see Troubleshooting.

Next Steps