AWARD: An Adaptive Web Based-Tool Prototype for Neurocognitive Individualized Assessment and Training - Foundations on Natural and Artificial Computation - page 542

This “cognitive slowing” in each patient must be taken into careful conside-
ration both during the administration of tasks and also during the process of
analyzing the obtained results. The patients might show a deficient performance
in a particular cognitive task because of this “cognitive slowing” even if the
underlaying cognitive function remains intact. In this situation, and with the aim
of controlling the effect of the speed of information processing, it is necessary
to adapt the timed-parameter associated with the tasks, establishing the right
values according with the patient profile.
In general, the WM tasks [12] are aimed to assess or to train the capacity of an
individual to codify, maintain and manipulate information in WM. Briefly, WM
tasks involved: (i) maintenance of multiple stimuli at the same time; and (ii)
short delays during which the representation of stimuli should be held in WM.
Figure 1 shows the general structureofatrialofacomputerized WM task. Each
square represent a computer screen.
Fig. 1. Screenshot of configuration trial
Each trial of the task starts with an initial screen that contains a previous
stimuli set. Normally the duration of this screen is proportional to the number
of stimuli. After that, a screen remains blank during a short delay, denominated
SOA. Then, appears another screen with the response stimuli set. This screen
remains until the patient makes a response. At last a feedback screen is shown
to the patient before continue with the next trial.
In this way, in each task, the adjustment of temporal parameters related to
the duration of the events of a trial is a fundamental problem in such scenarios.
The settings of these events can be summarized in the adjustment of two pa-
rameters. On the one hand the time that must be present the previous stimuli
set and on the other hand, the time between the concealment of the previous
stimuli set and the appearance of the response stimuli set (delay during which
the representation of previous stimuli should be held in WM). Both time values
are di cult to adjust without an analysis thorough of each task and historical
tests.