AWARD: An Adaptive Web Based-Tool Prototype for Neurocognitive Individualized Assessment and Training - Foundations on Natural and Artificial Computation - page 545

main functionalities of the tool from a user perspective. Once AWARD prime is
started, and after the authentication process, we access to the main screen of
the application. Figure 2 shows this main page, where are accessible the features
of tool, that are divided into two groups: administration section and execution
tasks section. In the administration module, the therapists can store and modify
data related to subjects and create new protocols and tasks. On the other hand
is the execution module where subjects can perform the training tasks.
Fig. 2. Screenshot of main page
As an illustration of operation of the tool, we will work with the definition of
two prototype tasks ( “Task of Nonsense Shapes” and “Task Board” ), which can
be used to explore and/or training the visual-spatial sketchpad, a WM compo-
nent involved in visual or spatial tasks, such as remembering shapes and colors
or the location and speed of objects in space. To design a task, the therapist
must define all the trials that compose it. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the screens
of the configuration form for each trial event (sample stimuli screen and choice
stimuli screen) of the “Task of Nonsense Shapes” . Altogether, these two screens
represent the configuration of a particular trial belonging to a task.
Briefly, we are going to describe the above cognitive tasks. The “Task Non-
sense Shapes” is a delayed-match-to-sample task: the subject is shown a complex
visual pattern (the sample) and then, after a brief delay (or retention interval
in the range of 1 to 7 s -parameter adaptive time delay-), similar visual pat-
terns (from 1 to 6 patterns). The subject must select the pattern which exactly
matches the sample. Thus, in each trial there are two screens of events: the
sample screen during 1 s, and the choice screen until response. After answering