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Measuring executive functions online: Interactive effects of experimenter presence, instruction feedback, session
Jihanne Dumo1,2, Nicole White3, Kiranjot Jhajj4
1Department of Psychology, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. jihanne.dumo@alumni.unbc.ca.
Psychological Research
|December 26, 2025
Summary
Online cognitive testing shows experimenter presence and feedback impact performance, but not comprehension or user experience. These effects depend on task type, difficulty, and session order in multi-session studies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Research Methodology
Background:
- Online cognitive research offers accessibility and flexibility benefits.
- Concerns exist about data quality in unsupervised online testing environments.
- Mitigating strategies for online data quality lack consistent evaluation, especially in multi-session studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of experimenter presence and instruction feedback on online cognitive task performance.
- To assess the effects on instruction comprehension and user experience in a multi-session online study.
- To understand how experimental design factors moderate these effects.
Main Methods:
- 109 participants completed a two-session online study.
- Experimenter presence and instruction feedback were manipulated across four conditions.
- Participants performed spatial working memory and convergent thinking tasks, counterbalanced across sessions.
Main Results:
- Instruction comprehension and user experience remained consistent across conditions.
- Experimenter presence and instruction feedback significantly affected task performance.
- Performance effects varied based on session order, task type, and task difficulty.
Conclusions:
- Online cognitive testing parameters like experimenter presence and feedback influence performance.
- Experimental design features, including task type and number of sessions, moderate these influences.
- This research highlights the importance of carefully considering online testing design for reliable cognitive data.
