# Repeat trial in QUEST staircase if no response

**URL:** <https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/repeat-trial-in-quest-staircase-if-no-response/44693>\
**Category:** Online experiments\
**Created:** [April 29, 2025, 9:51am UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/repeat-trial-in-quest-staircase-if-no-response/44693 "2025-04-29T09:51:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gjd8009](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@gjd8009](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/gjd8009)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 9:51am UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/repeat-trial-in-quest-staircase-if-no-response/44693/1 "2025-04-29T09:51:37Z")

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Hello everyone.  
I am trying to run a QUEST staircase implemented within the builder in Pavlovia. It works, but there is still an outstanding issue: the QUEST staircase always considers an incorrect response _any_ response that is not the indicated as “correct answer” **as well as** any missed response. This leads to stimulus intensity to increase, even when people do not respond. What I want to do instead is forcing the staircase to repeat the same trial that is missed by the participant - ie present the stimulus at the same intensity level as in the missed trial a second time. Has anyone managed to achieve this within a QUEST staircase?  
This is particularly challenging to do online considering that we need to indicate maxTrials == N to avoid the staircase going on forever, and it always ends once it has reached that number (which is a problem if one wants to repeat the missed trials). Has anyone attempted to do the same or found a solution around this issue?  
Many thanks to anyone who can help with this!

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**Author:** ![stanley1O1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@stanley1O1](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/stanley1O1)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 9:33pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/repeat-trial-in-quest-staircase-if-no-response/44693/2 "2025-04-30T21:33:53Z")

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I would probably add a counter that only ticks up when a response (correct or incorrect or whatever you choose). Then link the intensity increase to that variable.

If it is a 2AFC task you could do something like:

```auto
counter = 0
if part_ans == "L" or "R":
             #correct_resp or incorrect_resp
     counter += 1

```

Hopefully this gives you some ideas on where to go?

Issac

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**Author:** ![JensBoelte](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.psychopy.org/jensboelte/32/9060_2.png) [@JensBoelte](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/JensBoelte)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/repeat-trial-in-quest-staircase-if-no-response/44693/3 "2025-05-05T15:03:05Z")

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Hello @gjd8009

shouldn’t it be?

> [@stanley1O1](#):
>
> ```auto
> counter = 0
> if part_ans == "L" or part_ans == "R":
> #correct_resp or incorrect_resp
> counter += 1
> 
> ```

Best wishes Jens

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**Author:** ![stanley1O1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@stanley1O1](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/stanley1O1)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/repeat-trial-in-quest-staircase-if-no-response/44693/4 "2025-05-06T21:52:11Z")

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Yea your if statement with or is correct. I was just working on some excel at the time at had that logic in my head.  
Issac