The Continuous Matching Task (CMT) - real-time procedural stimulus generation for adaptive testing of attention

The Continuous Matching Task (CMT) is a novel paradigm designed to measure sustained attention and alertness. It is a special type of Continuous Performance Task (CPT) that utilizes truly continuous stimulus material. Stimuli are generated in real-time by a procedural algorithm which also enables adaptive testing. The task is highly flexible and can be used in either single or dual-task configurations that also allow for task mixing. The functionality of the algorithm and applications are presented. The viability of the CMT is tested and results are compared with similar tasks, i.e. Stroop-Task and Conner's CPT (CCPT), as well as self-reports of ADHD in adults in a Multi-Trait-Multi-Method approach in a sample of N = 122 participants. Self-reports and measurements of heart rate variability during testing are analyzed to infer and compare mental workload during tasks. Overall, variants of the CMT induce a higher mental workload than the other tasks, and employing the dual-task CMT with adaptive difficulty resulted in the highest reliability and validity. Results indicate that the CMT is primarily a measure of alertness and processing speed and benefits from adaptive testing.