Cooper Shelly R, Gonthier Corentin, Barch Deanna M, Braver Todd S
Cognitive Control and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. LouisMO, United States.
LP3C EA 1285, Department of Psychology, Université Rennes 2Rennes, France.
Front Psychol. 2017 Sep 4;8:1482. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01482. eCollection 2017.
Investigating individual differences in cognition requires addressing questions not often thought about in standard experimental designs, especially regarding the psychometric properties of the task. Using the AX-CPT cognitive control task as a case study example, we address four concerns that one may encounter when researching the topic of individual differences in cognition. First, we demonstrate the importance of variability in task scores, which in turn directly impacts reliability, particularly when comparing correlations in different populations. Second, we demonstrate the importance of variability and reliability for evaluating potential failures to replicate predicted correlations, even within the same population. Third, we demonstrate how researchers can turn to evaluating psychometric properties as a way of evaluating the feasibility of utilizing the task in new settings (e.g., online administration). Lastly, we show how the examination of psychometric properties can help researchers make informed decisions when designing a study, such as determining the appropriate number of trials for a task.
研究认知方面的个体差异需要解决一些在标准实验设计中不常考虑的问题，特别是关于任务的心理测量特性。以AX-CPT认知控制任务为例进行案例研究，我们探讨了在研究认知个体差异这一主题时可能遇到的四个问题。首先，我们证明了任务分数变异性的重要性，这反过来又直接影响可靠性，尤其是在比较不同人群的相关性时。其次，我们证明了变异性和可靠性对于评估潜在的无法复制预测相关性的情况的重要性，即使是在同一人群中。第三，我们展示了研究人员如何通过评估心理测量特性来评估在新环境（如在线管理）中使用该任务的可行性。最后，我们展示了对心理测量特性的检查如何帮助研究人员在设计研究时做出明智的决策，比如确定任务的适当试验次数。
