Test update and technology

On a recent visit to an overseas conference I had the opportunity to see a range of new tests in action on the iPads.

As you may know, in the new general intelligence test, the nonverbal working memory subtests have been moved across from the memory test. They can now be administered on-screen. Yes you can still administer with a grid and colored chips is you like, but you can do the test without these, with the client responding on their iPad. How it works is that on the client iPad it shows a grid, and the person moves the chips in the colors they select across the screen to place them (to demonstrate their recall of the pattern). So that will be much more compact and easier for clients comfortable with this type of technology.

There was a lot of excitement about the DKEFS Advanced, so I took the opportunity to try out many of the subtests. I am aware that they have collected new norms, but am not able to comment on how they compare. Maybe it was just a bit of jet-lag, but some of the tasks were difficult! They were also quite a change from the traditional administration.

The Trail Making Test still requires people to follow a sequence, but by tapping on the circles rather than drawing the connecting lines. The iPad fills the lines in for you, and in something that was both unfamiliar and overwhelming the lines overlapped! On a standard sized ipad it was a lot of lines that seemed to be squashed together. It also introduced new sequences which did require a lot of concentration, and they have eliminated some of the simpler ones that we know in the paper version.

The Stroop task was also included, but again differs quite a lot from the traditional administration. Some neuropsychologists consider the non-motor responding to be an advantage of this task in its traditional form. In the advanced version the client taps their responses on-screen - rather than reading out the answer. The extent to which this impacts what the test measures will only become evident with more research I suspect.

There were two tasks that appeared to be analogues of tests that we are familiar with - but using different stimuli - a complex card sorting task and a gambling (prediction) task, both administered by the client moving their items across the screen.

Finally they also moved the Tower task onto the iPad. The responses were made by moving the pieces on-screen. Compared to dragging around the physical beads and sticks, this was certainly compact for the travelling neuropsychologist! They also added a different condition (alternating conditions) in what appeared to be an attempt to increase the complexity of the task.

So I feel as if I have had a peek into the future of assessment. As an early adopter of the iPad administration I was pleased to see them making full use of the technology. Whilst that is great for clients familiar with it, it may well disadvantage some populations. It remains to be seen if the perceived difficulty of the tasks translates into greater sensitivity - lets hope it does!