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Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques
Published on: June 30, 2020
Validating a gamified size perception task for identifying cognitive profiles in children: a latent profile analysis
Nan Wang1, Changsen Zhu1, Yixuan Huang2
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Introduction:
Size perception is a fundamental visuospatial skill that supports children's daily functioning and academic learning. Traditional variable-centered approaches often overlook heterogeneity in cognitive strategies, particularly among children with neurodevelopmental conditions.
Methods:
A transdiagnostic sample of 652 children (541 typically developing, 58 with autism spectrum disorder, 53 with global developmental delay) completed a nine-level gamified size perception task and standardized assessments of executive function, illusion susceptibility, and sensory integration. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was applied to external cognitive and sensory variables. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested the task's factor structure. Within-profile paired t-tests (Bonferroni correction) examined differences across latent factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis evaluated screening accuracy.
Results:
LPA yielded three stable profiles: Low Cognitive-Sensory (n = 108), Moderate Cognitive (n = 373), and High Cognitive (n = 171). CFA identified three latent factors: Basic Visual Discrimination, Sequential Visual Working Memory, and Perceptual Conflict Control. Within-profile comparisons showed that the High Cognitive profile scored significantly higher on the two executive-demanding factors than on Basic Visual Discrimination (both p < 0.001), whereas no such differences were observed within the other two profiles. ROC analysis demonstrated excellent discriminative ability for identifying children in the high-risk Low Cognitive-Sensory profile (area under the curve = 0.92, sensitivity = 85.2%, specificity = 85.5%).
Discussion:
Different cognitive profiles employ qualitatively different strategies: the High Cognitive profile flexibly engages executive resources under high task demands, while the other profiles rely on basic perceptual processing regardless of task complexity. The gamified task is brief, engaging, and suitable for large-scale screening. These findings support a person?centered approach to assessing cognitive heterogeneity and highlight the utility of gamified assessments for early identification of children at risk for cognitive difficulties.
