On the stability of instability: Optimising the reliability of intra-subject variability of reaction times

Saville, Christopher W. N.; Pawling, Ralph; Trullinger, Mark; Daley, David; Intriligator, James; Klein, Christoph

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.03.034

Cited by 53 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The current study, albeit limited by the small number of participants, provides promising preliminary evidence for the suitability and efficacy of the CPAT as a cognitive training program. Taken together with the results of four previous studies that investigated the CPAT with various populations who suffer from attention difficulties (Kerns et al 2010;Muller Spaniol et al 2017;Sampanis et al 2015;Shalev et al 2007), we suggest that the CPAT provides a good fit to the above requirements and encourage future large scale studies using the CPAT and any other similar neurocognitive training.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…In another study, children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder that completed the same CPAT protocol improved significantly in non-trained academic skills (Kerns et al 2010). A recent study used the CPAT to train patients after stroke and documented analogous near and far transfer effects-increase in sustained attention and enhancement of other cognitive functions (e.g., language, memory, number skills, and praxis; Sampanis et al 2015). The fact that the CPAT produced far transfer outcomes both in the case of individuals who suffer from developmental attention deficits and in the case of people who suffer from acquired attention deficits strengthens the hypothesis that the underlying mechanism of the generalization effects is improved attention and/or cognitive control functioning which facilitates various aspects of everyday functioning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Computerized Progressive Attention Training (CPAT) vs. Active Control in Adults with ADHD

et al. 2017

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Higher education students with ADHD cope with various academic obstacles such as difficulty to sustain attention while studying and deficient ability to focus attention effectively on academic tasks. Shalev et al. (Child Neuropsychology, 13(4), 382-388, 2007) have developed a computerized progressive attentional training (CPAT) program for children with ADHD, which is composed of four sets of structured tasks designed to uniquely activate various attentional functions: sustained-, selective-spatial, orienting-, and executive-attention. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the CPAT vs. an active control training program on improving attention functioning among high functioning adults with ADHD. Thirty participants, randomly assigned either to the CPAT or to the active control (computer games; CG) groups, completed 16 1-h training sessions across 8 weeks. Attention functioning was assessed using both objective and subjective tools three times: before the intervention (pre-test), after the intervention (post-test), and at follow-up (2-3 months later). Participants in the CPAT group exhibited significantly greater improvements in selective-spatial attention and in executive attention tasks (that were different than the attention training tasks) compared to participants in the CG group, and these gains were maintained at follow-up. These results provide strong evidence for near transfer effects of the CPAT. In addition, modest improvement in sustained attention was recorded in both training groups. However, analyses of the self-reported ADHD symptoms across the three points of assessment showed no change in either group. Future studies with larger samples should replicate and elaborate the present findings in order to assess whether the near transfer effects of the CPAT program could be translated to everyday functioning in high functioning adults with ADHD.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Computerized Progressive Attention Training (CPAT) vs. Active Control in Adults with ADHD

et al. 2017

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“…Therefore, a proportion of SD above the mean seems to be more advantageous. However, the slow RTs located far from the RT mean or median demonstrate strong relationships with a number of cognitive and neurological conditions and thus diagnostic validity rather than the mean or best RTs (Saville et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…In the four visual reaction tests with the different number of choices (S-R) -the simple reaction test (RT 1 ) and two, three and four-choice reaction tests (RT 2 , RT 3 and RT 4 , respectively), the RT distribution was assessed by the three moments of distribution (Saville et al, 2011) -by the central tendency measures of RTs as the first moments, variability measures of RTs as the second moments, and skewness and kurtosis as the third moments of RT distribution. The selected measures of these moments of RT distribution were also analysed on their stability between two series of reaction trials.…”

Section: Data Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The visual reaction time distribution in the tasks with different demands on information processing

Psotta¹

2014

Acta Gymnica

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Background: Reaction tests are a part of the neuropsychological assessment of the individual. The design of these tests and selection of the appropriate measures of reaction time (RT) should come out from the distribution qualities of RTs. According to the newer general theory of RT distribution, the quality of RTs also depends on the specific properties of a reaction task. Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the dependency of RT distribution on an amount of processed information in a visual reaction test, and to verify the stability of RT distribution between two series of RTs in male adolescents. Methods: 25 male adolescents, aged 17.1 ± 1.1 years, performed four different eye-hand visual reaction tests which differed in a number of choices -simple reaction test (RT 1 ), two, three and fourchoice RT tests (RT 2 , RT 3, RT 4 ). Each test involved 2 series with 20 reaction trials in each series, using the computerbased reactometer device. The first, second and third moments of the RT distribution were assessed -the measures of central tendency (mean, median), variability (% CV, median absolute deviation/median ratio -MAD/Mdn, interquartile range) and normality (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, skewness and kurtosis coefficient α and β). Significance of differences of RTs was assessed by the Wilcoxon test (α = .05). Results: The analysis showed the non-Gaussian distributions of RTs (α = .01) with the skew to the right (α = 1.18-4.38) and leptocurtic distribution (β = 1.89-34.15) in all types of the RT tests. The measures of RT variability % CV and MAD/Mdn (%) were lower for the RT 1 test as compared to the RT 2 , RT 3 and RT 4 tests. No significant differences in RTs measured in the 1 st and 2 nd series of trials were found in the RT 1 test and RT 2 test in contrast to significantly shorter RTs in the 2 nd series of trials in the RT 3 test and RT 4 test (p = .006 and p < .001). RTs measured in the 2 nd series of trials of RT 1 , RT 2 and RT 4 tests manifested distribution with a higher skewness to the right and higher peakedness than the RTs in the 1 st series. Conclusions: The study supported the hypothesis on asymmetric distribution of RTs, specifically when measured in the both eye-hand visual simple and multiple-choice reaction tasks with two up to four choices. Thus, the nonparametric statistics show to be more appropriate for analysis of RTs than the parametric statistics. For both clinical and research purposes, the two series of twenty reaction trials in a computer-based test can provide a sufficient number of the RT data for reliable assessment of visual simple and choice-reaction abilities in the male adolescents.

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Everyday Life Cognitive Instability Predicts Simple Reaction Time Variability: Analysis of Reaction Time Distributions and Delta Plots

Steinborn

Langner

Flehmig

et al. 2015

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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SummaryThe goal of this study is to understand the interface between subjectively assessed and objectively measured attention functioning. To this end, we assessed both self‐report data using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and sustained‐attention performance using a low‐demand psychomotor vigilance task that required participants to respond to visual targets. Unlike previous studies, reliability of task performance was ensured, testing individuals twice within a retest interval of 1 week. Given that everyday life attentional lapse tendencies vary even in normal‐population samples, we asked whether there is a relationship with laboratory performance, in general and as a consequence of time on task (TOT). As a result, low (versus high) CFQ scorers were somewhat different in their average response speed but became particularly prone to lapsing during the task period, as reflected in standard measures of response‐speed variability as well as ex‐Gaussian parameters of distributional skewness. In conclusion, we argue that persistence to sustained demand might be an important aspect of construct validity that must be evoked by a manipulation of TOT, which may be useful for the evaluation of questionnaires in ecologically valid situations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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On the stability of instability: Optimising the reliability of intra-subject variability of reaction times

Cited by 53 publications

References 14 publications

Computerized Progressive Attention Training (CPAT) vs. Active Control in Adults with ADHD

Computerized Progressive Attention Training (CPAT) vs. Active Control in Adults with ADHD

The visual reaction time distribution in the tasks with different demands on information processing

Everyday Life Cognitive Instability Predicts Simple Reaction Time Variability: Analysis of Reaction Time Distributions and Delta Plots

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