Measuring within-day cognitive performance using the experience sampling method: A pilot study in a healthy population

Verhagen, Stijn; Daniëls, Naomi E M; Bartels, Sara Laureen; Tans, Sulina; Borkelmans, Karel; Vugt, Marjolein E. de; Delespaul, Philippe

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0226409

Cited by 28 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Specifically, our results provide empirical evidence to support behavioral interventions that target daily social interactions as risk factors to improve cognitive health and reduce future risks for cognitive decline and ADRD. Using novel mobile technology, older adults’ daily social interactions and cognitive function could be closely monitored and enhanced by just-in-time adaptive interventions [ 37 ], which are designed to deliver highly personalized treatments in real time and in one’s natural environment [ 38 , 39 ]. Our time-lagged analyses demonstrated the timescales over which the predictive effects of different features of social interactions on cognitive performance may manifest and persist, thus pointing out the best time windows for effective behavioral interventions targeting these features of social interactions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily social interactions related to daily performance on mobile cognitive tests among older adults

et al. 2021

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The lack of social contact or good social relationships has been linked with cognitive decline and higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. One important but unexamined question is how daily social interactions relate to older adults’ cognitive function in daily life. The present study examined how changes in daily social interactions related to fluctuations in older adults’ performance on mobile cognitive tests from day to day. Using an ecological momentary assessments approach, 312 older adults (aged 70 to 90 years) completed surveys on social interactions and mobile cognitive tests five times a day for 16 consecutive days using smartphones. Multilevel modeling was used for analyses. Results demonstrated that having more daily social interactions, especially more pleasant social interactions, related to better cognitive performance the same day and over the subsequent two days. Cognitive performance, however, did not predict subsequent changes in social interactions across days. At the between-person level, older adults who had more (vs. less) frequent interactions with close partners on average, especially with their friends, had better cognitive performance. Finally, the average levels of social interactions also moderated the within-person associations between daily social interactions and the same-day cognitive performance. In sum, results from this study highlight the importance of having pleasant social interactions and frequent interactions with friends for older adults’ cognitive function in daily life, and have important implications for future behavioral interventions targeting certain features of daily social interactions to reduce risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily social interactions related to daily performance on mobile cognitive tests among older adults

et al. 2021

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“…This finding is in line with traditional neuropsychological assessments reporting a variety of cognitive deficits in MCI, of which memory is commonly most dominant [ 50 ]. A moderate level of fatigue has also been found in a healthy sample using the ESM [ 24 ] and may thus not be directly related to the cognitive deficits. To determine significant differences from healthy older adults, a control group is prospectively necessary.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The duration of 6 days was chosen to capture both weekdays and weekend days. This set-up was based on previous feasibility studies [ 23 , 24 ]. Beeps occurred unpredictably in semirandom time blocks of 112.5 minutes between 7:30 AM and 10:30 PM and were available to be filled in for 15 minutes after the beep.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smartphone-Based Experience Sampling in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Feasibility and Usability Study

Bartels¹,

Knippenberg²,

Malinowsky³

et al. 2020

JMIR Aging

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Background Daily functioning of people with cognitive disorders such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is usually depicted by retrospective questionnaires, which can be memory-biased and neglect fluctuations over time or contexts. Objective This study examines the feasibility and usability of applying the experience sampling method (ESM) in people with MCI to provide a detailed and dynamic picture of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive patterns in everyday life. Methods For 6 consecutive days, 21 people with MCI used an ESM app on their smartphones. At 8 semi-random timepoints per day, participants filled in momentary questionnaires on mood, activities, social context, and subjective cognitive complaints. Feasibility was determined through self-reports and observable human-technology interactions. Usability was demonstrated on an individual and group level. Results Of the 21 participants, 3 dropped out due to forgetting to carry their smartphones or forgetting the study instructions. In the remaining 18 individuals, the compliance rate was high, at 78.7%. Participants reported that momentary questions reflected their daily experiences well. Of the 18 participants, 13 (72%) experienced the increase in awareness of their own memory functions as pleasant or neutral. Conclusions Support was found for the general feasibility of smartphone-based experience sampling in people with MCI. However, many older adults with MCI are currently not in possession of smartphones, and study adherence seems challenging for a minority of individuals. Momentary data can increase the insights into daily patterns and may guide the person-tailored development of self-management strategies in clinical settings.

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“…Much of the extant work has focused on administering existing cognitive screens and neuropsychological tests via tele-conferencing [29,39,66,72,73] rather than exploring updated options, such as using well-validated experimental tasks in a clinical context. Looking into the future, incorporating data collected from wearables, smartphone apps, and/or other sensors may also provide a rich source of data for better detection and monitoring of cognitive [37,74] and mood symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases [75]. For example, if some cognitive domains can be reliably measured using web-based cognitive tasks with acceptable psychometric properties [28,[76][77][78], clinical practice can shift toward more remote monitoring of cognitive changes in memory or executive functioning, given that these domains are key factors in the loss of functional independence in neurodegenerative diseases [79].…”

Section: Principal Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Web-Based Cognitive Testing of Older Adults in Person Versus at Home: Within-Subjects Comparison Study

Cyr¹,

Romero²,

Galin-Corini³

2021

JMIR Aging

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Background Web-based research allows cognitive psychologists to collect high-quality data from a diverse pool of participants with fewer resources. However, web-based testing presents unique challenges for researchers and clinicians working with aging populations. Older adults may be less familiar with computer usage than their younger peers, leading to differences in performance when completing web-based tasks in their home versus in the laboratory under the supervision of an experimenter. Objective This study aimed to use a within-subjects design to compare the performance of healthy older adults on computerized cognitive tasks completed at home and in the laboratory. Familiarity and attitudes surrounding computer use were also examined. Methods In total, 32 community-dwelling healthy adults aged above 65 years completed computerized versions of the word-color Stroop task, paired associates learning, and verbal and matrix reasoning in 2 testing environments: at home (unsupervised) and in the laboratory (supervised). The paper-and-pencil neuropsychological versions of these tasks were also administered, along with questionnaires examining computer attitudes and familiarity. The order of testing environments was counterbalanced across participants. Results Analyses of variance conducted on scores from the computerized cognitive tasks revealed no significant effect of the testing environment and no correlation with computer familiarity or attitudes. These null effects were confirmed with follow-up Bayesian analyses. Moreover, performance on the computerized tasks correlated positively with performance on their paper-and-pencil equivalents. Conclusions Our findings show comparable performance on computerized cognitive tasks in at-home and laboratory testing environments. These findings have implications for researchers and clinicians wishing to harness web-based testing to collect meaningful data from older adult populations.

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Measuring within-day cognitive performance using the experience sampling method: A pilot study in a healthy population

Cited by 28 publications

References 51 publications

Daily social interactions related to daily performance on mobile cognitive tests among older adults

Daily social interactions related to daily performance on mobile cognitive tests among older adults

Smartphone-Based Experience Sampling in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Feasibility and Usability Study

Web-Based Cognitive Testing of Older Adults in Person Versus at Home: Within-Subjects Comparison Study

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