SuperLab for Windows 2.0 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Last Revision: November 9, 2006

• The information in this support document apply only to versions 1.x and 2.x of SuperLab.

• SuperLab 4.0 has been released; to find out what the latest is, please visit superlab.com.

• This support document is deprecated and will not no longer be updated.

FAQs

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about SuperLab for Windows:

What is the most recent version of SuperLab Pro for Windows?

Version 2.0.4 is the last 2.x version available. The best way to check which version you have is to chose About SuperLab Pro from the Help menu. If you have a version earlier than 2.04, please send us email. The upgrade is free. It adds support for auditory files (.WAV), mouse buttons input, and the RB-410 and RB-610 responses pads, sending an experiment by email from within SuperLab Pro, and a number of other features and bug fixes.

Can I port my experiment to SuperLab Pro for Macintosh?

Not in version 2.  This is possible in SuperLab version 4.0 and later.  See superlab.com.

As my experiment grows, I am running into an "Out of Memory" error.

You can control how SuperLab Pro for Windows manages memory:

1. In SuperLab Pro, chose Preferences from the Experiment menu. The Preferences dialog opens.

2. Select "Keep only a trial's worth at a time".

3. Click on OK. This will cause SuperLab Pro to keep only the image(s) for one trial in memory at any one time.

If you have included all the events in just one trial, you will need to change that.

If you are using scanned images or other bitmaps, make sure your images do not contain more color information than necessary. For example, if you are using only 6 or 7 colors, use 4-bit (16 color) bitmaps. Using more colors will not only increase memory requirements, but it will also increase the time necessary to draw the picture. For scanned images, make sure the scanning was done at 72 dpi (dots per inch) which is the screen's resolution. Scanning at higher resolutions will significantly increase memory requirements.

Can the subject answer with an entire word?

Not in version 2.  This is possible in SuperLab version 4.0 and later.  See superlab.com.

When I present a high-resolution picture, the colors are not correct.

This is usually caused because Windows is operating in 256-color mode or less. To fix, please follow these instructions for Windows 95 or later:

1. Click on the Start menu, chose Settings, then chose Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.

2. Double-click on the Display control panel to open it.

3. The Display control panel has several tabs towards the top. Click on the Settings tab to select it.

4. One of the options available is Color Palette. Make sure that it is set to higher than "256 Colors".

5. Click on OK.

These steps are usually all that's necessary to fix this problem.

Known Problems and Limitations

Why doesn't my sound file play completely? Only the first second or so play.

Most likely because your file is greater than 64 kilobytes (65,535 bytes) in length and you are using Windows 3.1.

If you are using a 32-bit operating system such as Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP, this limitation is now gone with SuperLab Pro for Windows 2.0, which is a free upgrade.

If you are still using Windows 3.1, there are a few ways to try to get around this file size limitation:

1. Reduce the sampling rate. Often, the sampling rate can be reduced without noticeably affecting the sound quality.

2. If your sound does not have to be in stereo, eliminate one channel and convert it to mono.

3. If you are playing a spoken sentence or words, break the sound file into two or more files, and hence two or more events in SuperLab Pro.

Even in Windows 3.1, there are no limitations on sound other than the file size. You can still play mono or stereo sounds, 8- or 16-bit, or any other variation of sound files.

Why isn't my auditory or visual feedback getting presented?

This is a bug in SuperLab Pro for Windows (fixed in versions 4.0 or later). The problem happens only with the Picture File and Sound File modules, and only if the memory management option is not set to "Keep all events in memory at all times". There are a couple of ways to try to get around it:

1. Use a Text event to present feedback instead of the Picture File or Sound File event types.

2. If you have enough memory in your computer to accommodate all the data files (picture and sound files) used by your experiment, chose Preferences from the Experiment menu and set the Memory Management option to "Keep all events in memory at all times".

This bug will be fixed in a later upgrade.

When I preview a visual stimulus in the Event Editor, it flashes.

This problem is now fixed in SuperLab Pro for Windows 2.0, which is a free upgrade.

In pre-version 2, you can get around the problem by doing the following:

1. In the Taskbar (the one with the Start button on it), click on the right mouse button. A menu appears.

2. Chose Properties. A dialog opens.

3. Turn the "Auto hide" checkbox on.

4. Click on OK.

Turning on the Auto hide feature will cause the Taskbar to disappear. It will reappear automatically when you move the mouse button all the way to the bottom of the screen.