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Coding consistently or continues coding means, that you log behavioral information given at any point in time, without having any "not coded" parts during this period, and without creating duplicated codings.

INTERACT offers various logging procedures to code consistently:

oUsing mutually exclusive Codes in the coding modes Standard and Complex.

oPrevent double codings for clean sequential Events.

oCreating a exhaustive string of Events, using the SPACEBAR in the Lexical coding mode

oLog exhaustive parallel strings of Events in the Complex coding mode.

IMPORTANT: This only works for the duration of a session, as long as you do not manually reverse the video.

Mutually exclusive Codes

Designed to log behavior that cannot overlap, but with the ability to log them simultaneously with other behaviors. This enables you to code behaviors like 'Gaze' and 'Position' simultaneously, while none of the Gaze Codes are supposed to overlap, nor do the position Codes.

This process is handled by the Exclusion list attribute in the Code definitions. How to define such Codes is explained in Define Mutually Exclusive Codes.

Note: Exclusion lists allow you to code faster, because you only need to log the start of each behavior, never the end!

Sequential Events

For sequential or seamless coding, the same Code cannot be repeated sequentially (no double codings).

•Read Sequential Coding for further details.

Lexical Event Strings

The easiest way to code sequentially, is using the SPACEBAR for all Events. The coding mode Lexical (post-hoc) allows you to enter multiple Codes per Event, to describe complex behaviors.

•Read Log Events - Lexical (post-hoc) for further details.

Exhaustive Parallel Strings

The Complex coding mode was designed to log exhaustive states for multiple subjects during a live observation. You specify a current state for each top-level Code at the beginning, using one or more sub-level Codes. For each of those top-level Codes, a single Event with corresponding start time is created. The moment the situation changes for a top-level Code, this Code is selected again, the previous Event is closed with the current time as its offset. A new Event is created in which the new situation is specified.

•Read Log Events - Complex for details.

Why does this only work during one coding session?

For reasons concerning the response rate of the computer, we did not implement a real time check that warns you whenever an existing Event (containing an excluding Code) is found, which covers at least partial the same period in time as the new Event. (Continuous checking, frame by frame, during playback, looking through all existing Events to search for an existing Event with an exclusive Code, in search for a possible collision, is simply not possible for larger data sets and fast coding at the same time.)

IMPORTANT: The collision check occurs during one coding session, between all momentarily active (=open) Code. This functionality simplifies the coding process a lot, without slowing down the computer.

**) The Push & Release option is not very useful here, because it is a lot easier to concentrate on a new key stroke if no fingers are occupied pressing any other keys.