User`s guide

E-Prime User’s Guide

Chapter 5: Data Handling

Page 165

5.1 Overview of Data Handling

With E-Merge and E-DataAid, E-Prime provides tools to support data management and analysis.

The E-Merge application merges individual data files into aggregate data files for group analysis.

The E-DataAid application enables experimenters to view and edit data, generate descriptive

statistics and plots of the results, and export the data and analysis results to other applications.

E-DataAid provides very rapid checking of the data collection process, monitoring of the

experimental results, and fast export to other packages for extended analysis.

It is recommended that the user first work through the Getting Started Guide to get an overview of

the use of E-Merge and E-DataAid. The materials in this chapter detail more extended options

within the tools. If data merging needs are modest and are covered sufficiently by the Getting

Started Guide, the user may choose to skip to section 5.3-Data Handling using E-DataAid.

5.2 Merging Data Files Using E-Merge

5.2.1 Introduction

E-Merge is E-Prime’s data merging application. For each subject run, E-Run generates a single

subject E-Prime data file with the EDAT extension. Using a graphical interface similar to

Explorer, E-Merge allows the user to quickly merge these files into a master E-Prime data file for

data analysis. Merged E-Prime data files have the EMRG extension.

This chapter outlines the steps for data merging and introduces some advanced topics, such as

using the Recursive Merge feature and handling conflicts, which are not addressed in the Getting

Started Guide. Before reading this chapter, work through the Getting Started Guide for E-Merge

and have a general knowledge of working in a Windows application.

5.2.2 Organize Data Files

Before merging data files, the files should be organized into one folder or a system of subfolders

on the hard drive. The organization of files will depend on the needs of the particular experiment.

For example, data files for a single experiment may be placed in one folder (e.g., Figure 1), or

may be separated into subfolders according to some grouping (e.g., condition), as in Figure 2

below.

E-Run

MyExperiment-1-1.edat

MyExperiment-2-1.edat

MyExperiment-3-1.edat

E-Merge

MergedData.emrg

E-DataAid