Measuring the Reliability of a Gamified Stroop Task: Quantitative Experiment

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Psychometrics
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Rigorous psychometric evaluation of gamified cognitive tasks is limited.
• Understanding the impact of task modifications, even minor ones, is crucial for reliable experimental and clinical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of game elements on the reliability of Stroop task scores.
• To assess performance consistency within and across testing sessions.

Main Methods:

• Developed two versions of the Stroop task: one gamified (with points and feedback) and one basic.
• Administered both tasks to participants at two separate time points.
• Evaluated internal consistency using a permutation approach and test-retest reliability via Pearson and intraclass correlation coefficients.

Main Results:

• The gamified Stroop task demonstrated reduced Stroop effect, faster reaction times, and lower error rates.
• Gamification led to higher internal consistency for both reaction times and error rates.
• Test-retest reliability showed that the gamified version reached peak consistency faster, particularly for incongruent trials.

Conclusions:

• Subtle gamification significantly impacts cognitive task performance and reliability.
• Gamified tasks enhance performance consistency within and across sessions, enabling participants to reach peak performance more rapidly.
• Further research into the effects of game elements on cognitive task psychometrics is warranted.