Lancaster Hope Sparks, Parks Ryan, Bashford Seth, Fitzpatrick Denis, Buttner Alicia
Center for Childhood Deafness Language and Learning, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 555 North 30th St., Omaha, NE 68131, USA.
Center for Childhood Deafness Language and Learning, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 555 North 30th St., Omaha, NE 68131, USA.
J Commun Disord. 2025 Mar-Apr;114:106496. doi: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106496. Epub 2025 Jan 22.
Recent technological advancements in psychology have yielded multiple unsupervised online tools for measuring cognitive skills. However, these tools do not measure key features of communication abilities in adults, such as productive speech or oral language. To address this gap, we developed the Remote Adult Language Experiment (ReAL-E) using a three-step approach that incorporates domain identification, expert evaluation, and piloting testing.
Step 1 focused on domain and task identification by collaborating with experts and reviewing the literature. Step 2 included two rounds of evaluation by content and lay experts to assess the initial tool design, identify areas for refinement, and solicit feedback for desired features. Step 3 involved piloting the tool in a sample of adults recruited online.
The ReAL-E tool adapted three speech planning and production tasks and four oral and written language tasks into online versions. Feedback from content and lay experts led to significant improvements, including enhanced task instructions, presentation modifications, and the incorporation of features to address potential confounds. Pilot testing demonstrated that adults perform within expected ranges, and five out of seven tasks had good to excellent preliminary reliability.
The development of the ReAL-E tool contributes to the field by offering a scalable, efficient method for assessing a broad range of communication skills in adults, paving the way for future research and clinical applications in developmental communication disorders. Our study underscores the collaborative effort and innovative approach required for creating a digital assessment tool that promises to expand research capabilities and improve diagnostic processes in the discipline.
心理学领域最近的技术进步产生了多种用于测量认知技能的无监督在线工具。然而，这些工具并未测量成年人沟通能力的关键特征，如表达性言语或口语。为了弥补这一差距，我们采用了一种三步法开发了远程成人语言实验（ReAL-E），该方法包括领域识别、专家评估和试点测试。
第一步通过与专家合作并查阅文献，专注于领域和任务识别。第二步包括由内容专家和普通专家进行两轮评估，以评估初始工具设计、确定需要改进的领域，并征求对所需功能的反馈。第三步涉及在网上招募的成年人样本中对该工具进行试点测试。
ReAL-E工具将三项言语计划和产出任务以及四项口头和书面语言任务改编为在线版本。来自内容专家和普通专家的反馈带来了显著改进，包括增强任务说明、修改展示形式，以及加入解决潜在混淆因素的功能。试点测试表明成年人的表现处于预期范围内，七项任务中有五项具有良好到优秀的初步信度。
ReAL-E工具的开发为该领域做出了贡献，提供了一种可扩展、高效的方法来评估成年人广泛的沟通技能，为未来在发育性沟通障碍方面的研究和临床应用铺平了道路。我们的研究强调了创建一个有望扩展研究能力并改善该学科诊断过程的数字评估工具所需的合作努力和创新方法。
