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. 2023 Jul 6;12:e47053. doi: 10.2196/47053

Table 1.

Brief description of the app- and laboratory-based cognitive and sensory tasks administered in the Labs Without Walls Study.

Format and task name Source Expected duration (minutes) Construct or constructs measured Description
App-based testing

Trail Making Task A [6] 2 Sequencing, visual search, and processing speed The participant uses their finger to connect a series of labeled circles presented on their phone screen, in order. The circles are labeled with sequential numbers (1, 2, 3, etc).

Trail Making Task B [6] 2 Cognitive flexibility, alternating attention, sequencing, visual search, and processing speed The participant uses their finger to connect a series of labeled circles presented on their phone screen, in order. The circles are labeled with alternating numbers and letters (1, a, 2, b, 3, c, etc).

Spatial Memory Task [6] 2 Visuospatial memory and executive function The participant is asked to observe and then recall pattern sequences of increasing length in a game-like environment.

Stroop Task [6] 3 Cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control The participant is shown a series of words that are displayed in color and must select the first letter of the color’s name.

Tapping Speed [6] 2 Motor function, tapping speed, tapping accuracy, and tapping rhythm The participant rapidly alternates between tapping 2 targets on the touch screen. The task is repeated for the left and right hands.

Tower of Hanoi [6] 2 Problem solving The participant is asked to solve a puzzle in a minimum number of moves. To solve the puzzle, the participant must move the entire stack to the highlighted platform in as few moves as possible.

Reaction Time [6] 2 Reaction time The participant shakes their iPhone (Apple Inc) in response to a visual cue on the screen.

9-Hole Peg Test [6] 2 Hand dexterity The participant uses 2 fingers to touch on an on-screen peg and drag it into an on-screen hole and across a line. Both hands are tested.

dB HL Tone Audiometry task [6] 6 Hearing ability The participant listens through ear pods (provided by the research team) to a series of tones and taps the left or right button on the screen when they hear each tone. These tones are of different audio frequencies and play on different channels (left and right), with the volume being progressively increased until the user taps one of the buttons.

Amsler Grid [6] 1 Visual problems, such as macular degeneration The participant observes an on-screen grid while closing 1 eye for any anomalies and marks the areas that appear distorted using their finger.

16-Plate Ishihara Colour Deficiency Test Adapted for mobile from the original 25-plate Ishihara colour deficiency test [22] 3 Red-green color deficiency The participant is shown 16 images depicting a circle made of smaller red and green dots. Each circle is presented on a single screen. Within each circle, numbers appear in alternating colors. The participant must enter the number shown within each circle using an on-screen keyboard.
Face-to-face testing

Trail making task A [23] 3 Sequencing, visual search, and processing speed The participant is presented with a sheet of paper that contains numbers randomly scattered throughout. The task is to connect the numbers in sequential order as quickly as possible.

Trail Making Task B [23] 5 Cognitive flexibility, alternating attention, sequencing, visual search, and processing speed The participant is presented with a sheet of paper that contains both numbers and letters randomly scattered throughout. The task is to connect the numbers and letters in alternating, sequential order as quickly as possible. For example, the participant would connect 1 to A, then A to 2, then 2 to B, and so on.

WMS-IIIa Spatial Span (forward span) [24] 5-10 Visuospatial memory The participant is shown of a series of spatial locations, typically marked by a set of blocks or cubes, arranged in a particular order on a board or table. The examiner then points to each location in sequence, and the participant being tested is required to touch or point to each location in the same order.

Victoria Stroop Task [25] 5-10 Cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control The participant is asked to read aloud a list of color names, such as “red,” “green,” and “blue,” as quickly and accurately as possible. The participant is then presented with a list of color words that are printed in an incongruent color, such as the word “red” printed in blue ink and is instructed to name the color of the ink, not the word itself, as quickly and accurately as possible.

SHOEBOX dB HL Tone Audiometry Test [26] 10-20 Hearing ability The participant wears headphones. A series of pure tone sounds are presented at different frequencies and loudness levels, and the participant is asked to respond each time they hear the sound. The test typically begins at a frequency of 1000 Hz and progresses to higher and lower frequencies.

25-plate Ishihara Colour Deficiency Test [22] 5-10 Red-green color deficiency The participant is shown a series of plates with colored dots or patterns arranged in a specific way to form a number. The participant must identify the number on each plate.

aWMS-III: Wechsler Memory Scale-III.