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Updated: Mar 7, 2026
The 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task: A Task of Attention and Impulse Control for Rodents
Published on: August 10, 2014
Associations among response time inconsistency, attention switching, and cognitive status: A measurement burst
Robert S Stawski1, Eric S Cerino2, Stuart W S MacDonald3
1Utah State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies.
Objective:
Trial-to-trial variability in response times (RT inconsistency; RTI) has emerged as an important dimension of performance for characterizing cognitive function and cognitive status. The present study explores whether (a) RT inconsistency is associated with attention switching performance between-persons and within-persons over time, (b) RTI-attention switching associations differ as a function of cognitive impairment status, and (c) RTI-attention switching associations change longitudinally over 4 years.
Method:
A sample of 304 adults (64-92 years) at baseline completed measures of attention switching and a 1-back choice response time task weekly for 4-5 weeks, repeating this protocol and a basic neuropsychological assessment annually for 4 years. Three cognitive status subgroups were identified at baseline: healthy controls (HC), as well as cognitive impairment-no dementia (CIND) status based upon single (CIND-S) and multiple (CIND-M) domains.
Results:
Greater RTI was associated with significantly slower attention switching performance between-persons and within-persons over time. Importantly, RTI-attention switching associations were specific to individuals exhibiting cognitive impairment. Specifically, within-person associations were evident among CIND-M participants, while between-person associations emerged for CIND-S and CIND-M participants. RTI-attention switching associations did not reliably change over time. All associations were independent of age, education, chronic health conditions, and mean RT.
Conclusions:
RTI confers a unique information about cognitive function and status and holds promise as a functional indicator of pathological cognitive aging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
