Platform, modality, and gamification effects on digit span task performance

Web-based cognitive assessment raises questions regarding the psychometric equivalence of unsupervised online tests with traditional onsite administration. Gamification is often proposed to increase participant motivation, but its cognitive mechanisms remain debated. This study investigated the interactive effects of platform (onsite, standard online, and gamified online), stimulus modality (auditory and visual), and task direction (forward and backward) on digit span test performance using a within-subject design (N = 32). Standard online and onsite scores did not differ, supporting the validity of remote testing, and a robust auditory superiority effect emerged across platforms. The gamified platform produced higher scores than both standard versions, but this boost was not larger for the executive-demanding backward task, suggesting a general performance enhancement rather than selective modulation of the central executive. Both online platforms demonstrated good-to-excellent test-retest reliability without practice effects, supporting standardized online digit span tasks as psychometrically sound alternatives for cognitive assessment.