Mix and Match

Authors: Maarten van Casteren & Matthew H. Davis
Updated: Mon 24 December 2007
Source: http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/people/maarten-van-casteren/mixandmatch/
Type: command-line program
Languages: English
Keywords: psychologyexperimentsoftwareEnglish
Open Access: yes
License:
Documentation: http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/people/maarten-van-casteren/mixandmatch/
Publications: van Casteren, M. & Davis, M.H. (2007). ; van Casteren, M. & Davis, M.H. (2006).
Citation: van Casteren, M. & Davis, M.H. (2007). Match: A program to assist in matching the conditions of factorial experiments. Behavior Research Methods. 39(4), 973-978. ; van Casteren, M. & Davis, M.H. (2006). Mix, a program for pseudorandomization. Behavior Research Methods. 38(4), 584-589.
Summary:

Mix and Match are tools to support experimental research. Mix is a Windows program that can generate pseudorandomized orders according to complex, user-specified constraints. Mix can be used to generate a novel item order for each individual participant, even for complex experiments in which stimulus and/or response repetition is an experimental variable of interest, or for which automated randomization would not normally be possible. The program also contains a number of other practical features for generating files for use with a variety of experiment control software. Use is limited to academic or other nonprofit applications. Matching large groups of items or participants on multiple dimensions is a difficult and time-consuming task, yet failure to match conditions will lead to suboptimal experiments. Match automates this process by selecting the best-matching items from larger sets of candidate items. In most cases, the program produces near-optimal solutions in a matter of minutes and selects matches that are typically superior to those obtained using hand matching or other semiautomated processes.