Examination of the reliability and feasibility of two smartphone applications to assess executive functioning in racially diverse older adults

Measuring Situational Cognitive Performance in the Wild: A Psychometric Evaluation of Three Brief Smartphone-Based Test Procedures

Mobile devices provide new opportunities to draw conclusions about cognitive performance in everyday situations. To gain insights into cognitive performance patterns in healthy adult populations, we adapted three established cognitive tests for smartphone use: the Digit Symbol Substitution Task (DSST), Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), and Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT). To increase their feasibility for ambulatory assessment, we identified the minimum measurement durations that provide reliable and valid state measures of cognitive performance. Over 2 weeks, 46 participants performed each test once per day at random times, along with self-reports (e.g., on concentration, mood, and mental demands). The validity and reliability of change are promising for the 30-second PVT and 90-second DSST and SART. The DSST and SART provide fruitful outcomes for ambulatory field studies linked to mood, stress, and mental demands. We provide digital versions of the adapted DSST and SART online for free.

Age and sex effects on Super G performance are consistent across internet devices

There have been recent advances in the application of online games that assess motor skill acquisition/learning and its relationship to age and biological sex, both of which are associated with dementia risk. While this online motor learning assessment (called Super G), along with other computer-based cognitive tests, was originally developed to be completed on a computer, many people (including older adults) have been shown to access the internet through a mobile device. Thus, to improve the generalizability of our online motor skill learning game, it must not only be compatible with mobile devices but also yield replicable effects of various participant characteristics on performance relative to the computer-based version. It is unknown if age and sex differentially affect game performance as a function of device type (keyboard versus touchscreen control). Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate if device type modifies the established effects of age and sex on performance. Although there was a main effect of device on performance, this effect did not alter the overall relationship between performance vs. age or sex. This establishes that Super G can now effectively be extended to both computer and mobile platforms to further test for dementia risk factors.

Remote, Unsupervised Functional Motor Task Evaluation in Older Adults across the United States Using the MindCrowd Electronic Cohort

COVID-19 has impacted the ability to evaluate motor function in older adults, as motor assessments typically require face-to-face interaction. One hundred seventy-seven older adults nationwide completed an unsupervised functional upper-extremity assessment at home. Data were compared to data from an independent sample of community-dwelling older adults (N = 250) assessed in lab. The effect of age on performance was similar between the in-lab and at-home groups. Practice effects were also similar. Assessing upper-extremity motor function remotely is feasible and reliable in community-dwelling older adults. This test offers a practical solution for telehealth practice and other research involving remote or geographically isolated individuals.