Self-administered Web-Based Tests of Executive Functioning and Perceptual Speed: Measurement Development Study With a...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psychometrics
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Large-scale cognitive testing is crucial for understanding cognitive aging and impairment.
• Internet-based platforms are increasingly used for population surveys, necessitating investigation of web-based cognitive assessments.
• Self-administered cognitive tests require validation for accuracy and reliability in diverse online environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate web-based, self-administered cognitive tests (Stop and Go Switching Task, Figure Identification) for executive functioning and perceptual speed.
• To examine differences in cognitive scores based on internet device type (keyboard/mouse vs. touch screen).
• To assess the impact of self-reported distractions on cognitive test performance and establish national norms.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Understanding America Study, a probability-based internet panel representative of the US adult population.
• Administered two cognitive tests (Stop and Go Switching Task, Figure Identification) to participants, with counterbalanced order across device types for those with multiple devices.
• Collected data on participant device usage, interruptions, and distractions during testing sessions.

Main Results:

• Cognitive test scores showed small differences across internet device types (Cohen d: 0.05–0.13).
• Older age was moderately associated with poorer cognitive performance (r: 0.32–0.61), consistent across device types.
• Interruptions during testing (12.3–12.7% of participants) significantly predicted poorer cognitive performance (P<.01).

Conclusions:

• Self-administered web-based cognitive tests effectively capture age-related cognitive performance differences and are comparable across different internet devices.
• Environmental distractions, particularly interruptions during testing, can introduce significant bias into cognitive assessment results.
• Findings support the use of web-based cognitive tests in population surveys while highlighting the need to mitigate environmental distractions for accurate measurement.