Validation of the Mnemonic Similarity Task – Context Version

Abstract

Objective: Pattern separation (PS) is the ability to represent similar experiences as separate, nonoverlapping representations. It is usually assessed via the Mnemonic Similarity Task -Object Version (MST-O) which, however, assesses PS performance without taking behavioral context discrimination into account, since it is based on pictures of everyday simple objects on a white background. We here present a validation study for a new task, the Mnemonic Similarity Task -Context Version (MST-C), which is designed to measure PS while taking behavioral context discrimination into account by using real-life context photographs. Methods: Fifty healthy subjects underwent the two MST tasks to assess convergent evidence. Instruments assessing memory and attention were also administered to study discriminant evidence. The test-retest reliability of MST-C was analyzed. Results: Weak evidence supports convergent validity between the MST-C task and the MST-O as measures of PS (r s = 0.464; p o 0.01); PS performance assessed via the MST-C did not correlate with memory or attention; a moderate test-retest reliability was found (r s = 0.595; p o 0.01). Conclusion:The MST-C seems useful for assessing PS performance conceptualized as the ability to discriminate complex and realistic spatial contexts. Future studies are welcome to evaluate the validity of the MST-C task as a measure of PS in clinical populations.

Putting cognitive tasks on trial: A measure of reliability convergence

“…As was previously reported in the literature [40][41][42][43][44][45][46] , and can also be seen in our data (Figs. 2 and 6), many tasks have only modest reliability at the individual level.…”

“…Though it is generally implicitly assumed, behavioral tasks do not explicitly test whether the behaviors they are measuring indeed converge to a stable mean at the individual level. Test-retest reliability measures for most tasks are modest at best (~0.6 reliability [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] ). Is this due to a lack of convergence to a more stable performance, perhaps driven by momentary, non-specific fluctuations in a non-measured variable (attention, for instance), which are greater than the between-individual differences on the task?…”

Mindfulness Enhances Cognitive Functioning: A Meta-Analysis of 111 Randomized Controlled Trials

“…Good convergent validity has also been shown by strong relations among scores, and strong discriminant validity evidenced by low associations with scores on assessments of other constructs (Aldi et al, 2018;Cheng et al, 2011;Oliveira et al, 2016;Stegen et al, 2010;Teichner et al, 1999).…”