Intersession Reliability and Within-Session Stability of a Novel Perception-Action Coupling Task

Abstract

Traditional measures of alertness and reaction time do not capture the dynamic integration of perception and action, where some form of perceptual judgement (i.e. judgement of an object's spatial parameters in relation to another object) is required to examine this relationship. PURPOSE:To assess the reliability, within-subject variability, and systematic bias associated with a novel measure of reaction time, the perception-action coupling task (PACT). PARTICIPANTS: 9 males and 7 females (Age (yrs) = 27.8 ± 3.6) participated in four identical testing sessions. METHODS: The PACT, performed on a touch-screen tablet, requires participants to make judgements on whether a virtual ball affords "posting" in a virtual aperture, both of varying sizes. There are 8 possible ball to aperture size ratios., and aA full cycle of the PACT lasts 5 minutes and consists of 12 randomized presentations of each ratio. For each session, participants completed 9 cycles with a 15-minute break every three cycles. Reaction Time (RT), movement time (MT), and initiation time (IT) were calculated from response parameters.Accuracy of judgements (ACC) was calculated as the percentage of correct responses from each cycle. Systematic bias was determined by repeated-measures ANOVA, reliability was assessed with intra-class correlation coefficients, and within-subject variability was assessed with coefficients of variation. RESULTS: Initiation time was found to have the highest learning effect, requiring the elimination of three cycles to eliminate systematic bias (F = 2.417, p = .056). All other variables required one or less cycles (F = .408 -1.729, p = .167 -.910). All variables showed acceptable reliability (ICC = .775 -943) and within-subject variability () with only one cycle, after elimination of the first 3 cycles. CONCLUSIONS: With a 3 cycle (15-minute) familiarization period, the PACT was found to be stable and reliable in assessing RT, MT, IT and ACC during perceptual judgements.

Does Concussion Affect Perception–Action Coupling Behavior? Action Boundary Perception as a Biomarker for Concussion

“…The PACT has been shown to be reliable across multiple testing sessions (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.78-0.94). 24 Figure 2 shows a subject performing the test.…”

Dynamic Visual Stimulations Produced in a Controlled Virtual Reality Environment Reveals Long-Lasting Postural Deficits in Children With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

“…They proposed that the perception-action coupling loop should be re-established through post-concussion rehabilitation to avoid the risk of subsequent musculoskeletal injury ( 61 ). In that matter, the authors have proposed a computerized perception-action coupling task that seems promising to complement current concussion assessments ( 61 , 62 ).…”

Association of impulsivity, physical development, and mental health to perceptual‐motor control after concussion in adolescents

“…If participants perceive the ball to not fit inside the hole, they are instructed to move the joystick away from the hole. The PACT is reliable across testing sessions after a 15‐minute familiarization period (ICC = 0.78–0.94 for all outcomes) (Connaboy et al, 2019). Outcomes for the PACT are reaction time (i.e.…”

“…If enrolled, participants completed a full practice iteration of the PACT, followed by the BIS, GAD‐7, PHQ‐9, and PDS, before completing the PACT again. The second iteration of PACT was analyzed, due to previous work indicating a practice effect was evident in certain PACT outcomes without a full practice iteration (Connaboy et al, 2019). This study was approved by the University Institutional Review Board and procedures conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.…”