# Vocabulary Tests (LexTALE)

Source: https://www.potatoannotator.com/docs/annotation-types/vocabulary-test

*New in v2.12.0*

A lexical decision vocabulary test, such as LexTALE (Lemhöfer & Broersma, 2012), asks whether each letter string is a real word. It is a quick check of proficiency before a study in a second language.

Potato runs it as a radio question with a `lextale` block and scores it in the export. **The LexTALE item lists are not included with Potato.** Get them from the test's authors and use them under their terms.

```yaml
annotation_schemes:
  - annotation_type: radio
    name: lexicality
    description: Is this an existing English word?
    labels: ["yes", "no"]
    horizontal: true
    lextale:
      answer_field: is_word
      word: "yes"
      nonword: "no"
```

```json
{"id": "v1", "text": "lantern", "is_word": "yes"}
{"id": "v2", "text": "brindop", "is_word": "no"}
```

`answer_field` names the item field that says whether the item is a word (`yes`, `word`, `true` or `1`) or not, and that field is never sent to the page. `word` and `nonword` are the labels that mean "it is a word" and "it is not".

To show each item for a limited time, or to record response times, add [timed trials](/docs/experiments/timed-trials) with keys for the two labels.

## Export

```bash
python -m potato.export --config config.yaml --format lextale --output ./export/
```

The export writes `lextale.csv`, one row per participant, with the words and nonwords answered and answered correctly, the percentages, and the score: the average of the percentage of words correct and the percentage of nonwords correct.

The score is computed in the export, not while the study runs, so it cannot decide which pages a participant sees. To screen on it, export after the test and invite the participants who qualify to the next study.

## Example

```bash
python potato/flask_server.py start examples/advanced/vocabulary-test/config.yaml -p 8000
```

The eight items in the example are made up and are not the LexTALE list.

## Further Reading

- [Timed Trials](/docs/experiments/timed-trials) - Deadlines and reaction times for each item
- [Cloze](/docs/annotation-types/cloze) - Fill-in-the-blank proficiency tests
- [Radio Buttons and Multiselect](/docs/annotation-types/radio-multiselect) - The scheme a vocabulary test is built on

For implementation details, see the [source documentation](https://github.com/davidjurgens/potato/blob/master/docs/annotation-types/measurement/vocabulary_test.md).