Specifications

Behaverse Data Model (BDM) specifies dataset structure and a set of tables that are designed to capture the information relevant to the study of human behavior in many cognitive tests and questionnaires. The tables are designed to be tidy and to capture a wide variety of behavioral experiments.


A typical workflow in an experimental study. BDM defines the structure of the experimental design (studyflow), raw observations (events), behavioral data (trials), and downstream analyses (derived models)

A typical workflow in an experimental study. BDM defines the structure of the experimental design (studyflow), raw observations (events), behavioral data (trials), and downstream analyses (derived models)

General

Part of the BDM is common to all datasets, regardless of the specific type of activity:

Folder structure
A BDM dataset is a folder that contains data files and all relevant information needed to make sense of that data.
Dataset cards
Contain metadata and information about a dataset. Dataset cards also include a codebook to describe the semantics, structure, and format of the data variables.
Studyflows
Describe the study protocol and the sequence of activities that subjects are exposed to.
Instructions
Provide additional guidance and help about tasks presented to subjects in a study.
Questionnaires
Describe the questions presented to subjects and the responses they provide.

Specific

Some particular structures are unique to the type of data or activity. There are three levels of data:

Level 1: Events
The raw data that are collected during the experiment. They are the most detailed data and are typically sufficient for reproducing the original experiment.
Level 2: Trials
BDM considers trials as the core components of behavioral studies. These are task-specific, derived from event data, and typically designed to capture the main features of the scientific experiment.
Level 3: Statistics & Models
Summary statistics, scores, or models that are derived from trials (or raw events). They address research questions or used for downstream analyses.
Back to top