video-coding ... advice on keeping me awake?!

[Quynh2007]

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okay, so my research is on Fragile X and Down Syndrome.

Currently, I'm still in the testing stages of DS, but for FXS we are doing data analysis, and I have to do a lot of video-coding, and doing intra-reliability (that means double the fun...yay). so each session is 30 minutes long and I follow a mouse on a 15in black and white screen coding his hyperactivity and behavior on a 5-choice discrimination test (up to 70 trials total).

After about 5 minutes...i can feel my mind starting to slip unless the animal is very hyperactive. any advice on how to stay attentive? I don't want to start over after 10 minutes because I made a stupid mistake like not realize the mouse was grooming for 2 seconds because I dazed out or something.

The sooner I get through this, the sooner we can start putting together the results and discussion section of the paper to publish. at this rate, i'm not even sure i'm going to be done by the end of the semester. just need some tactics here to stay sharp. any advice is welcomed.

 

[Quynh2007]

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[Psyclops]

I've always been a fan of going the caffeine route. I would recommend starbucks, but only because they do iced coffee so well. Granted that is the expensive way to do it. You could go cheaper by buying one of the pills like no-doz. If you are one of those people who have an aversion to caffeine you could always start arrainging your coding times around your own circadian rythms. So, if you are most aroused in the morning do them then, or evening, afternoon, etc.

 

[lazure]

I've always been a fan of going the caffeine route. I would recommend starbucks, but only because they do iced coffee so well. Granted that is the expensive way to do it. You could go cheaper by buying one of the pills like no-doz. If you are one of those people who have an aversion to caffeine you could always start arrainging your coding times around your own circadian rythms. So, if you are most aroused in the morning do them then, or evening, afternoon, etc.

I've always avoided projects that required videocoding - I admire people who can do it...I like being with live people so much more 🙂

 

[colincorgi]

You might try doing it standing up. Posture is known to affect alertness (I have a reference but am too lazy to go get it). Motivation, of course, is key as well; since it sounds like you have incentive to do a good job, keep focussed on the prize!

 

[Psyclops]

I've always avoided projects that required videocoding - I admire people who can do it...I like being with live people so much more 🙂

Alot of "live people" projects have a video codnig component that follows the live people part. I'm hoping that I will no longer be the one doing coding though. 😉

 

[Quynh2007]

yeah, i do the "live" part right now with the Down's/Alzheimer mice, which is fun (rats are much friendlier, alas). The only downside is 6 days of research, even during breaks and holidays (I was here on New Year's but not Christmas, thank god) and so far, been doing it for almost 50 weeks now. Logged in probably by now over 12 hours of research (easy A, well, easy enough, only have 1 paper and 1 literature presentation per semester graded on effort only).

The technique I've been using to stay awake is to rate the events/minute (i'm a math geek). So I can say that an animal is going to go over 1000 events if at 15 minutes, he's done 500 events.