Cognitive Demand Battery (CDB)

Background

The Cognitive Demand Battery (CDB) is a 10-minute computerized neuropsychological assessment battery of speed and accuracy performance as well as mental fatigue on cognitively demanding tasks. It was developed by David Kennedy and Andrew Schooley in 2004 to assess the impact of drug/nutritional treatments on cognitive performance. The battery consists of three cognitive tasks that have been shown to be sensitive to metabolic changes in the brain as well as a self-report questionnaire on mental fatigue. Each task takes approximately 2 to 5 minutes for a total of 10 minutes.

The Millisecond implementation of the CDB uses mouse/touch input as the response modality. This allows the battery to be administered on mobile devices as well as on desktop computers.

Task Procedure

The CDB runs four independent subtests: two Serial Subtraction tasks, measures of executive functioning, that differ in their level of difficulty, as well as a Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVIP) task, a measure of processing speed and vigilance, and a self-report measure of mental fatigue. These tasks are administered in a fixed order.

Serial Subtraction Tasks: Serial-7 & Serial-3

The CDB starts with two Serial Subtraction tasks, the Serial-7 task followed by a Serial-3 task. The general task to perform is the same for both tests: given a starting number (e.g. randomly chosen from 800-999), participants are asked to mentally subtract 3 (7) from this number as often as possible within a certain time frame (here: 2 minutes). Participants enter their solution to each new subtraction step via a response dial. Each response is evaluated only relative to the previously entered number.

Both tasks involve working memory (hold the current number in short term memory, manipulate it and update it), and require numerical ability as well as focus over an extended period. They differ in their level of difficulty. While the Serial-3 task is relatively easy for most adults and can be seen as a test of how fast people can process simple information, the Serial-7 task is more demanding, requires more cognitive resources and is thus considered a more sensitive measure of executive impairments.

Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVIP):

The RVIP task follows the Serial-3 task and measures information processing speed under monotonous but demanding conditions. A participant is presented with a series of digits (1-9), one at a time, on a computer screen. The presentation time is 100 digits/min (or 1digit/600ms). The participant's task is to press a response button as soon as they detect a series of three consecutive odd or three consecutive even digits. The response window lasts 1500ms, measured from onset of the last target digit. The task runs for 5 minutes and generates a unique sequence of digits with roughly 8% targets and target distances from 5-20.

Visual Analog Rating Scale - VAS

The battery concludes with the self-report of one's mental fatigue, assessed on a 'Visual Analog Rating Scale'. Participants are asked to rate how mentally fatigued they feel on a 100mm long line with the anchors "not at all" (left) and "very much so" (right). Participants can adjust the rating before submitting it. Ratings are scored as 0-100 based on their relative position on the line.

What it Measures

The CDB is a neuropsychological assessment of drug treatments on cognitive performance

Psychological domains

• Executive Functioning: Monitoring working memory and updating working memory by replacing old, no longer relevant information with new, relevant one
• Working Memory: Storage and manipulation of information in short term memory
• Processing Speed: Speed of information processing
• Sustained Attention: Ability to maintain focus on a continuous repetitive task over a long time.

Main Performance Metrics

Serial Subtraction Tasks

• Accuracy: number of correct subtractions made within the time limit as a measure of Working Memory
• Errors/ErrorRate: number of incorrect subtractions as a measure of attention lapses or increase of fatigue
• Total Responses: number of total submissions made as a measure of information processing speed

RVIP

• Hits: number of correct identifications of target as an accuracy measure of sustained attention
• False Alarms: number of incorrect target identifications as a measure of impulsive behavior and
• Hit Tesponse Time: latency measure of information processing speed

VAS

• Rating: number of 0-100 as a measure of self-assessed mental fatigue

Psychiatric Conditions

The CDB is generally used for the assessment of treatments (e.g. drugs, nutrition) on healthy adults' cognitive performance.

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Cognitive Demand Battery (CDB).

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Kennedy, D. O., Haskell, C. F., Robertson, B., Reay, J., Brewster-Maund, C., Luedemann, J., Maggini, S., Ruf, M., Zangara, A., & Scholey, A. B. (2008). Improved cognitive performance and mental fatigue following a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement with added guaraná ( Paullinia cupana). Appetite, 50(2), 506–513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2007.10.007

Massee, L. A., Ried, K., Pase, M., Travica, N., Yoganathan, J., Scholey, A., Macpherson, H., Kennedy, G., Sali, A., & Pipingas, A. (2015). The acute and sub-chronic effects of cocoa flavanols on mood, cognitive and cardiovascular health in young healthy adults: a randomized, controlled trial. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 6, 93–93. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2015.00093