Abstract

The Continuous Matching Task (CMT) is a novel paradigm designed to measure sustained attention and alertness. It is a special type of Continuous Performance Task (CPT) that utilizes truly continuous stimulus material. Stimuli are generated in real-time by a procedural algorithm which also enables adaptive testing. The task is highly flexible and can be used in either single or dual-task configurations that also allow for task mixing. The functionality of the algorithm and applications are presented. The viability of the CMT is tested and results are compared with similar tasks, i.e. Stroop-Task and Conner’s CPT (CCPT), as well as self-reports of ADHD in adults in a Multi-Trait-Multi-Method approach in a sample of N = 122 participants. Self-reports and measurements of heart rate variability during testing are analyzed to infer and compare mental workload during tasks. Overall, variants of the CMT induce a higher mental workload than the other tasks, and employing the dual-task CMT with adaptive difficulty resulted in the highest reliability and validity. Results indicate that the CMT is primarily a measure of alertness and processing speed and benefits from adaptive testing.

摘要

连续匹配任务（CMT）是一种新颖的范式，旨在衡量持续的注意力和警觉性。它是一种特殊类型的连续绩效任务 (CPT)，利用真正连续的刺激材料。刺激是通过程序算法实时生成的，该算法还可以进行自适应测试。该任务高度灵活，可用于单任务或双任务配置，也允许任务混合。介绍了算法的功能和应用。对 CMT 的可行性进行了测试，并将结果与​​类似任务（即 Stroop-Task 和 Conner 的 CPT (CCPT)）以及成人 ADHD 自我报告（在样本中采用多特征多方法方法）进行了比较。N  = 122 名参与者。分析测试期间心率变异性的自我报告和测量结果，以推断和比较任务期间的脑力负荷。总体而言，CMT 的变体比其他任务会产生更高的脑力负荷，并且采用具有适应性难度的双任务 CMT 会产生最高的可靠性和有效性。结果表明，CMT 主要衡量警觉性、处理速度以及自适应测试的收益。