diff --git a/plugins/jspsych-survey-likert.js b/plugins/jspsych-survey-likert.js
index 830b1d34..77b65f02 100644
--- a/plugins/jspsych-survey-likert.js
+++ b/plugins/jspsych-survey-likert.js
@@ -1,136 +1,164 @@
-/* jspsych-likert
+/**
+ * jspsych-likert
  * a jspsych plugin for measuring items on a likert scale
  *
  * Josh de Leeuw (March 2013)
+ * Updated October 2013
+ * 
+ * parameters:
+ *      questions: array of arrays. inner arrays are arrays of strings, where each string represents a prompt
+ *                  for the user to respond to.
+ *      labels: array of arrays of arrays. inner most arrays are label markers for the slider, e.g. ["Strongly Disagree", "Neutral", "Strongly Agree"]. 
+ *              need one inner array for every question that is part of the trial. middle arrays group questions together.
+ *      intervals: array of arrays. inner arrays are how many different responses the user can select from, e.g. 5, one for each question.
+ *      show_ticks: graphically show tick marks on the slider bar to indicate the response levels.
+ *      data: optional data object
  *
  */
- 
-(function($) {
-	jsPsych.likert = (function(){
-	
-		var plugin = {};
-		
-		plugin.create = function(params) {
-			var trials = [];
-			for(var i = 0; i < params.questions.length; i++)
-			{
-				trials.push({
-					type: "likert",
-					questions: params.questions[i],
-					labels: params.labels[i],
-					intervals: params.intervals[i],
-					show_ticks: params.show_ticks || true
-				});
-			}			
-			return trials;
-		}
-		
-		plugin.trial = function(display_element, block, trial, part) {
-		
-			// add likert scale questions
-			for(var i = 0; i < trial.questions.length; i++)
-			{
-				// create div
-				display_element.append($('<div>', { "id": 'likert'+i, "class": 'likertquestion'}));
-				
-				// add question text
-				$("#likert"+i).append('<p class="likerttext likert">'+trial.questions[i]+'</p>');
-				
-				// create slider
-				$("#likert"+i).append($('<div>', { "id": 'slider'+i, "class": 'slider likert' }));
-				$("#slider"+i).slider(
-					{
-						value: Math.ceil(trial.intervals[i] / 2),
-						min: 1,
-						max: trial.intervals[i],
-						step: 1
-					});
-				
-				// show tick marks
-				if(trial.show_ticks) {
-					$("#likert"+i).append($('<div>', { "id": 'sliderticks'+i, "class": 'sliderticks likert', "css":{"position":'relative'} }));
-					for(var j = 1; j < trial.intervals[i]-1; j++){
-						$('#slider'+i).append('<div class="slidertickmark"></div>');
-					}
-					
-					$('#slider'+i+' .slidertickmark').each(function(index)
-						{
-							var left = (index+1) * (100/(trial.intervals[i]-1));
-							$(this).css({
-								'position':'absolute',
-								'left': left+'%',
-								'width': '1px',
-								'height': '100%',
-								'background-color':'#222222'
-							});
-						});
-				}
-				
-				// create labels for slider
-				$("#likert"+i).append($('<ul>', {"id": "sliderlabels"+i, "class": 'sliderlabels likert', "css":
-													{
-														"width":"100%",
-														"margin":"10px 0px 0px 0px",
-														"padding": "0px",
-														"display": "block",
-														"position": "relative"
-													}
-												}));
-				
-				for(var j = 0; j < trial.labels[i].length; j++)
-				{
-					$("#sliderlabels"+i).append('<li>'+trial.labels[i][j]+'</li>');
-				}
-				
-				// position labels to match slider intervals
-				var slider_width = $("#slider"+i).width();
-				var num_items = trial.labels[i].length;
-				var item_width = slider_width / num_items;
-				var spacing_interval = slider_width / (num_items - 1);
-				
-				$("#sliderlabels"+i+" li").each(function(index){
-					$(this).css({
-						'display': 'inline-block',
-						'width': item_width+'px',
-						'margin': '0px',
-						'padding': '0px',
-						'text-align': 'center',
-						'position': 'absolute',
-						'left': (spacing_interval*index)-(item_width/2)
-					});
-				});
-			}
 
-			// add submit button
-			display_element.append($('<button>', {'id':'next','class':'likert'}));
-			$("#next").html('Submit Answers');
-			$("#next").click(function(){
-				// measure response time
-				endTime = (new Date()).getTime();
-				response_time = endTime-startTime;
-				
-				// create object to hold responses
-				var question_data = {};
-				$("div.slider").each(function(index){
-					var id = "Q"+index;
-					var val = $(this).slider("value");
-					var obje = {};
-					obje[id] = val;
-					$.extend(question_data, obje);
-				});
-				
-				// save data
-				block.data[block.trial_idx] = $.extend({},{"trial_type": "likert", "trial_index": block.trial_idx, "rt": response_time}, question_data, trial.data);
-				
-				display_element.html('');
-				
-				// next trial
-				block.next();
-			});
-			
-			startTime = (new Date()).getTime();
-		}		
-		
-		return plugin;
-	})();
+(function($) {
+    jsPsych.likert = (function() {
+
+        var plugin = {};
+
+        plugin.create = function(params) {
+            var trials = [];
+            for (var i = 0; i < params.questions.length; i++) {
+                trials.push({
+                    type: "likert",
+                    questions: params.questions[i],
+                    labels: params.labels[i],
+                    intervals: params.intervals[i],
+                    show_ticks: params.show_ticks || true,
+                    data: (typeof params.data === 'undefined') ? {} : params.data[i]
+                });
+            }
+            return trials;
+        };
+
+        plugin.trial = function(display_element, block, trial, part) {
+
+            // add likert scale questions
+            for (var i = 0; i < trial.questions.length; i++) {
+                // create div
+                display_element.append($('<div>', {
+                    "id": 'likert' + i,
+                    "class": 'likertquestion'
+                }));
+
+                // add question text
+                $("#likert" + i).append('<p class="likerttext likert">' + trial.questions[i] + '</p>');
+
+                // create slider
+                $("#likert" + i).append($('<div>', {
+                    "id": 'slider' + i,
+                    "class": 'slider likert'
+                }));
+                $("#slider" + i).slider({
+                    value: Math.ceil(trial.intervals[i] / 2),
+                    min: 1,
+                    max: trial.intervals[i],
+                    step: 1
+                });
+
+                // show tick marks
+                if (trial.show_ticks) {
+                    $("#likert" + i).append($('<div>', {
+                        "id": 'sliderticks' + i,
+                        "class": 'sliderticks likert',
+                        "css": {
+                            "position": 'relative'
+                        }
+                    }));
+                    for (var j = 1; j < trial.intervals[i] - 1; j++) {
+                        $('#slider' + i).append('<div class="slidertickmark"></div>');
+                    }
+
+                    $('#slider' + i + ' .slidertickmark').each(function(index) {
+                        var left = (index + 1) * (100 / (trial.intervals[i] - 1));
+                        $(this).css({
+                            'position': 'absolute',
+                            'left': left + '%',
+                            'width': '1px',
+                            'height': '100%',
+                            'background-color': '#222222'
+                        });
+                    });
+                }
+
+                // create labels for slider
+                $("#likert" + i).append($('<ul>', {
+                    "id": "sliderlabels" + i,
+                    "class": 'sliderlabels likert',
+                    "css": {
+                        "width": "100%",
+                        "margin": "10px 0px 0px 0px",
+                        "padding": "0px",
+                        "display": "block",
+                        "position": "relative"
+                    }
+                }));
+
+                for (var j = 0; j < trial.labels[i].length; j++) {
+                    $("#sliderlabels" + i).append('<li>' + trial.labels[i][j] + '</li>');
+                }
+
+                // position labels to match slider intervals
+                var slider_width = $("#slider" + i).width();
+                var num_items = trial.labels[i].length;
+                var item_width = slider_width / num_items;
+                var spacing_interval = slider_width / (num_items - 1);
+
+                $("#sliderlabels" + i + " li").each(function(index) {
+                    $(this).css({
+                        'display': 'inline-block',
+                        'width': item_width + 'px',
+                        'margin': '0px',
+                        'padding': '0px',
+                        'text-align': 'center',
+                        'position': 'absolute',
+                        'left': (spacing_interval * index) - (item_width / 2)
+                    });
+                });
+            }
+
+            // add submit button
+            display_element.append($('<button>', {
+                'id': 'next',
+                'class': 'likert'
+            }));
+            $("#next").html('Submit Answers');
+            $("#next").click(function() {
+                // measure response time
+                var endTime = (new Date()).getTime();
+                var response_time = endTime - startTime;
+
+                // create object to hold responses
+                var question_data = {};
+                $("div.slider").each(function(index) {
+                    var id = "Q" + index;
+                    var val = $(this).slider("value");
+                    var obje = {};
+                    obje[id] = val;
+                    $.extend(question_data, obje);
+                });
+
+                // save data
+                block.writeData($.extend({}, {
+                    "trial_type": "likert",
+                    "trial_index": block.trial_idx,
+                    "rt": response_time
+                }, question_data, trial.data));
+
+                display_element.html('');
+
+                // next trial
+                block.next();
+            });
+
+            var startTime = (new Date()).getTime();
+        }
+
+        return plugin;
+    })();
 })(jQuery);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/plugins/jspsych-survey-text.js b/plugins/jspsych-survey-text.js
index 5412d638..3be169b1 100644
--- a/plugins/jspsych-survey-text.js
+++ b/plugins/jspsych-survey-text.js
@@ -1,72 +1,88 @@
-/* jspsych-survey-text
+/**
+ * jspsych-survey-text
  * a jspsych plugin for free response survey questions
  *
  * Josh de Leeuw (March 2013)
+ * Updated October 2013
+ * 
+ * parameters:
+ *      questions: array of arrays. inner arrays are arrays of strings, where each string represents a prompt
+ *                  for the user to respond to.
+ *      data: optional data object
  *
  */
- 
-(function($) {
-	jsPsych.survey_text = (function(){
-	
-		var plugin = {};
-		
-		plugin.create = function(params) {
-			var trials = [];
-			for(var i = 0; i < params.questions.length; i++)
-			{
-				trials.push({
-					type: "survey_text",
-					questions: params.questions[i]					
-				});
-			}			
-			return trials;
-		}
-		
-		plugin.trial = function(display_element, block, trial, part) {
-		
-			// add likert scale questions
-			for(var i = 0; i < trial.questions.length; i++)
-			{
-				// create div
-				display_element.append($('<div>', { "id": 'surveytext'+i, "class": 'surveyquestion'}));
-				
-				// add question text
-				$("#surveytext"+i).append('<p class="surveytext">'+trial.questions[i]+'</p>');
-				
-				// add text box
-				$("#surveytext"+i).append('<input type="text" name="surveyresponse'+i+'"></input>');
-			}
 
-			// add submit button
-			display_element.append($('<button>', {'id':'next','class':'surveytext'}));
-			$("#next").html('Submit Answers');
-			$("#next").click(function(){
-				// measure response time
-				endTime = (new Date()).getTime();
-				response_time = endTime-startTime;
-				
-				// create object to hold responses
-				var question_data = {};
-				$("div.surveyquestion").each(function(index){
-					var id = "Q"+index;
-					var val = $(this).children('input').val();
-					var obje = {};
-					obje[id] = val;
-					$.extend(question_data, obje);
-				});
-				
-				// save data
-				block.data[block.trial_idx] = $.extend({},{"trial_type": "survey_text", "trial_index": block.trial_idx, "rt": response_time}, question_data, trial.data);
-					
-				display_element.html('');	
-				
-				// next trial
-				block.next();
-			});
-			
-			startTime = (new Date()).getTime();
-		}		
-		
-		return plugin;
-	})();
+(function($) {
+    jsPsych.survey_text = (function() {
+
+        var plugin = {};
+
+        plugin.create = function(params) {
+            var trials = [];
+            for (var i = 0; i < params.questions.length; i++) {
+                trials.push({
+                    type: "survey_text",
+                    questions: params.questions[i],
+                    data: (typeof params.data === 'undefined') ? {} : params.data[i]
+                });
+            }
+            return trials;
+        };
+
+        plugin.trial = function(display_element, block, trial, part) {
+
+            // add likert scale questions
+            for (var i = 0; i < trial.questions.length; i++) {
+                // create div
+                display_element.append($('<div>', {
+                    "id": 'surveytext' + i,
+                    "class": 'surveyquestion'
+                }));
+
+                // add question text
+                $("#surveytext" + i).append('<p class="surveytext">' + trial.questions[i] + '</p>');
+
+                // add text box
+                $("#surveytext" + i).append('<input type="text" name="surveyresponse' + i + '"></input>');
+            }
+
+            // add submit button
+            display_element.append($('<button>', {
+                'id': 'next',
+                'class': 'surveytext'
+            }));
+            $("#next").html('Submit Answers');
+            $("#next").click(function() {
+                // measure response time
+                var endTime = (new Date()).getTime();
+                var response_time = endTime - startTime;
+
+                // create object to hold responses
+                var question_data = {};
+                $("div.surveyquestion").each(function(index) {
+                    var id = "Q" + index;
+                    var val = $(this).children('input').val();
+                    var obje = {};
+                    obje[id] = val;
+                    $.extend(question_data, obje);
+                });
+
+                // save data
+                block.writeData($.extend({}, {
+                    "trial_type": "survey_text",
+                    "trial_index": block.trial_idx,
+                    "rt": response_time
+                }, question_data, trial.data));
+
+                display_element.html('');
+
+                // next trial
+                block.next();
+            });
+
+            var startTime = (new Date()).getTime();
+        };
+
+        return plugin;
+    })();
 })(jQuery);
\ No newline at end of file