53  Explore, apply, reflect

🏢 Lab class/🏠 Self-study

Main exercise

Goal: In this exercise, you will practice the Excel features introduced in the first part of the session. The aim is to reinforce your understanding by creating small example files or working with real data from PsychoPy output files.

Step 1: Choose your data

You have two options:

Create your own small dataset

Add reaction times (RTs) and accuracies from a small set of trials (5-10). Make sure some of these are correct (1) and some are incorrect (0).

Use a PsychoPy output file

  • Open the file in Excel and save a copy (if you haven’t already done so). Make sure there are at least two incorrect trials.
  • Convert all RTs to milliseconds.

Step 2: Apply basic Excel skills

Work through the following tasks. If you already know some of these, focus on the ones that are new to you.

Formatting

  • Automatically adjust column widths.
  • Use conditional formatting (e.g., highlight reaction times above a certain threshold). (Ask an AI how to do this.)

Formulas and functions

  • Calculate the mean reaction time using =AVERAGE(range).
  • Compute accuracy percentage using a formula like =correct_trials / total_trials * 100 (use a function to find the correct numbers—don’t just type them!).

Functions

  • Copy all RTs from correct trials to a new column.
  • Use IF and AND in a formula.

Sorting

  • Sort trials by reaction time.
  • Sort trials by accuracy, then by reaction time.

Step 3: Save your work

Save your Excel file on OneDrive with a clear name (e.g., Excel_Practice_Lab9.xlsx).

Challenge exercise

Your task is to explore one of the two datasets below in Excel and perform some basic analyses—look for patterns, trends, or anything interesting that stands out.

When you discover an insight: Add a sticky note to the respective Microsoft Whiteboard.

Briefly describe:

  • Your question (what were you curious about?).
  • What you did in Excel (e.g., the formulas or sorting/filtering approach you used).
  • What you found out (your insight or observation).

Be creative and curious. There’s no “right” answer! You are welcome to use Copilot (or other AIs) to help you find answers to any questions you might have.

The datasets and their whiteboards:

  • Amazon Echo Dot Reviews: Contains customer reviews of the Echo Dot, including rating, review text, color, whether the purchase was verified, and review date. → Amazon Reviews Whiteboard
  • Student Performance: Includes information about students’ study habits, attendance, favourite subject, learning method, smartphone usage, and exam scores. → Student Performance Whiteboard

Data Source: Amazon Echo Dot 2 Reviews Dataset by PromptCloudHQ is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Data Source: Student Academic Performance Dataset.