READ ME - MUSIC BOX - data set

Article source: Novembre G, Varlet M, Muawiyath S, Stevens CJ, Keller PE. "The E-Music Box: an empirical method for exploring the universal capacity for musical production and for social interaction through music". 

Overview:

The dataset comprises data from 16 pairs of participants.
Each pair's data consist of 3 files: 1 .log file, providing an overview of all the events (and timing) that occurred throughout the experiment, and 2 .txt files providing the angle position of the music box handle over time (one file for each participant).

Log file - codes instructions:

The .log file is in the format of a classical output file generated by Presentation software (Neurobehavioral Systems - for a reference visit: https://www.neurobs.com).

File names are coded as follows: pair identifier (ambiguated), underscore, 'Case 515.log'.

The .log file contains strings and numbers. The temporal order of the events runs from top to bottom. Each line represents one event. Each column provides details with respect to each event.

Of interest here are the columns coded as 'condition_str', 'code_sent_str', 'file_played_str', 'time' and 'triggered_str', which are explained below:

'condition_str' equal to 'You Lead' or 'You Follow' or 'No leadership' indicates the task instructions presented on the screens. There are always two consecutive instructions (two successive lines), i.e. one for each player. The upper line (i.e. presented earlier) refers to player 1, and the lower to player 2. So if, for instance, 'You Lead' is listed above 'You Follow', then player 1 is leading and player 2 is following.

'condition_str' equal to 'short_metronome' indicates that the metronome is being presented and a trial is beginning. 

'code_sent_str' equal to ‘in’ or ‘anti’ indicates whether the players are supposed to rotate the handle clockwise ('in') or anticlockwise ('anti'). As above, there are two instructions, with the upper one referring to player 1.

'file_played_str' refer to the wav files played. These strings provide information about which wav file has been played, whether it is higher or lower in pitch, and to what MIDI number and musical note they correspond. For instance, ‘1H_72_c.wav' indicate that this is the ('1') first note, that it is higher in pitch ('H'). This tone corresponds to MIDI number 72, which is a C in the musical notation. Because Presentation software was programmed to present notes every 45 degrees of rotation, silent filler notes ('BLANK.wav') where used when notes longer than a quaver were played (see the paper's methods for details). So these files do not correspond to an auditory stimulus presented to the participants.

'triggered_str':  indicates which player's music box, '1' or '2', has produced the tone*.

'time' indicates when each of the events discussed above occurs relative to the start of the experimental session (coded in tens of milliseconds). These time coordinates are consistent with those used in the .txt files (explained more accurately below), except for one difference: the .txt file times are coded in milliseconds.

.txt files - codes instructions:

The .txt files provide the angular position of the music box handle over time. 

File names are coded as follows: pair number, underscore, player number*, underscore, 'input.txt'.

The first column 'Angle' represents the angle with respect to the position of the handle at the onset of the experiment (which corresponds to the position of the handle when the computer is turned on, so it is not comparable across pairs). (Note that the angles are not sampled regularly over time. Rather, a new angle point is sampled every time the handle position changed). The second column 'Adjusted_Angle' represents the adjusted angle, which is set to zero at the beginning of each trial. 'Adjusted_Angle' should be used to reproduce the results presented in the manuscript. The third column 'Time' represents the time relative to the degrees position (coded in milliseconds).

*NOTE: 
for pairs 1-10: player 1 controls high-pitched notes, and player 2 controls the low-pitched notes.
for pairs 11-16: players 2 controls high-pitched notes, and player 1 controls the low-pitched notes.