Development of microcomputer-based mental acuity tests

Abstract

Recent disasters have focused attention on performance problems due to the use of alcohol and controlled substances in the workplace. Environmental stressors such as thermal extremes, mixed gases, noise, motion, and vibration also have adverse effects on human performance and operator efficiency. However, the lack of a standardized, sensitive, human performance assessment battery has probably delayed the systematic study of the deleterious effects of various toxic chemicals and drugs at home and in the workplace. The collective goal of the research reported here is the development of a menu of tests embedded in a coherent package of hardware and software that may be useful in repeated-measures studies of a broad range of agents that can degrade human performance. A menu of 40 tests from the Automated Performance Test System (APTS) is described, and the series of interlocking studies supporting its development is reviewed. The APTS tests, which run on several versions of laptop portables and desktop personal computers, have been shown to be stable, reliable, and factorially rich, and to have predictive validities with holistic measures of intelligence and simulator performances. In addition, sensitivity studies have been conducted in which performance changes due to stressors, agents, and treatments were demonstrated. We believe that tests like those described here have prospective use as an adjunct to urine testing for the screening for performance loss of individuals who are granted access to workplaces and stations that impact public safety.

Effects of graded dosages of alcohol on nine computerized repeated-measures tests

“…In a previous article (Turnage et al 1992), we stated that mental tests can provide an indication of the onset, duration, and severity of impairment in operational performance which may aid ergonomic research. We observed that, although the advent of microcomputers expands the potential for such' assessment over paper-and-pencil media by permitting more rapid, diverse, and accurate assessment of capabilities, suitability requirements for such test materials are needed to satisfy metric criteria and practical factors.…”

“…Under sponsorship from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration and later the US National Science Foundation, a series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the tests' mechanized psychometric properties, their sensitivities, and their correlations with other computer tests and with tests of intelligence. These findings are reviewed in Turnage et al (1992).…”

“…In a prior article (Turnage et al 1992), we described the development of a microcomputer-based menu of tests for repeated-measures application that followed an approach that was employed in a programme of study conducted by the US Navy. In the Navy work, traditional paper-and-pencil tests of cognition and information processing tasks using tachistoscopic presentation were examined for their metric properties over a I5-day repeated-measures paradigm.…”

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We report a controlled laboratory validation experiment to provide an empirical sequel to the general background of the development of the Automated Performance Test System (APTS) that was presented in Turnage et al (1992). The purpose of this study was to index performance deficit against various Blood Alcohol Concentrations (BACs) of small (0-05% BAC), medium (0·10% BAC), and large (0·15% BAC) dosages as well as a placebo (0·00 BAC) condition.

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Psychological performance assessment via interactive voice response systems

“…There are now scores of computer-based performance assessment tools available commercially (Psychological Corp., 1996); researchers continue to develop tests that can be obtained at little or no cost (e.g., Elsmore, 1994;McKnight & MeKnight, 1994). The development, characteristics, and desired properties of such tools have been discussed in the literature (e.g., Turnage, Kennedy, Smith, Baltzley, & Lane, 1992). Test characteristics such as measurement stability, task definition, reliability, and performance stabilization time are critical factors influencing the acceptability and utility of such tests, particularly for repeated administration of the tests over time.…”