TY  - JOUR
AU  - Leong, Victoria
AU  - Raheel, Kausar
AU  - Sim, Jia Yi
AU  - Kacker, Kriti
AU  - Karlaftis, Vasilis M
AU  - Vassiliu, Chrysoula
AU  - Kalaivanan, Kastoori
AU  - Chen, S H Annabel
AU  - Robbins, Trevor W
AU  - Sahakian, Barbara J
AU  - Kourtzi, Zoe
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/1/6
TI  - A New Remote Guided Method for Supervised Web-Based Cognitive Testing to Ensure High-Quality Data: Development and Usability Study
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e28368
VL  - 24
IS  - 1
KW  - web-based testing
KW  - neurocognitive assessment
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - executive functions
KW  - learning
AB  - Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a fundamental reexamination of how human psychological research can be conducted safely and robustly in a new era of digital working and physical distancing. Online web-based testing has risen to the forefront as a promising solution for the rapid mass collection of cognitive data without requiring human contact. However, a long-standing debate exists over the data quality and validity of web-based studies. This study examines the opportunities and challenges afforded by the societal shift toward web-based testing and highlights an urgent need to establish a standard data quality assurance framework for online studies. Objective: This study aims to develop and validate a new supervised online testing methodology, remote guided testing (RGT). Methods: A total of 85 healthy young adults were tested on 10 cognitive tasks assessing executive functioning (flexibility, memory, and inhibition) and learning. Tasks were administered either face-to-face in the laboratory (n=41) or online using remote guided testing (n=44) and delivered using identical web-based platforms (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, Inquisit, and i-ABC). Data quality was assessed using detailed trial-level measures (missed trials, outlying and excluded responses, and response times) and overall task performance measures. Results: The results indicated that, across all data quality and performance measures, RGT data was statistically-equivalent to in-person data collected in the lab (P>.40 for all comparisons). Moreover, RGT participants out-performed the lab group on measured verbal intelligence (P<.001), which could reflect test environment differences, including possible effects of mask-wearing on communication. Conclusions: These data suggest that the RGT methodology could help ameliorate concerns regarding online data quality—particularly for studies involving high-risk or rare cohorts—and offer an alternative for collecting high-quality human cognitive data without requiring in-person physical attendance. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2022/1/e28368
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/28368
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34989691
DO  - 10.2196/28368
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/28368
ER  -