Keep Track Task

Background

The Keep Track Task is a cognitive-behavioral measure of executive functioning and specifically addresses the 'updating' subcomponent of executive control that involves monitoring and coding incoming information for relevance and replacing old, no-longer-relevant information with newer data. Specifically, the Keep Track Task requires participants to monitor a series of items to keep track of items belonging to specific target categories (e.g. metals). The task was first developed by Douwe B. Yntema in 1963 to explore how well people can maintain and update the status of several variables (like categories or positions) over time. The task was further fine-tuned by Akira Miyake and colleagues in the early 2000s to study the relationship of several executive functions (set shifting, updating, inhibition). They could show that these functions were highly correlated with each other due to a common, heritable factor ('unity') but also differed due to genetic influences unique to each function ('diversity').

Task Procedure

Participants are presented word lists of 15 words, presented one-by one for 1000ms, that are randomly sampled from 6 different categories (animals, colors, countries, distances, metals, relatives). Before each word list is presented, participants are told the specific categories to keep track of (2-4 categories) - these categories are also visible throughout the word presentation. At the end of the word sequence, participants have to enter the last word presented for each of these target categories. Each category gets its own textbox.

The task tests 3 difficulty levels (2,3,4) across 12 rounds of testing. Each difficulty level is tested 4 times in a randomly determined order. The specific target categories are sampled randomly for each round. Each category is presented at least twice and at most three times within the 15-word presentations. The exemplars presented for each category are sampled at random from the 6 provided options with the constraint that they cannot be repeated in the same word list. Feedback is provided after each round. Participants work through three rounds of practice to get familiar with the procedure.

What it Measures

The Keep Track Task is a cognitive-behavioral test of executive control, particularly memory updating abilities

Psychological domains

• Executive Control: Collection of "top-down" mental processes used to manage and regulate thoughts and actions
• Working Memory: Storing and updating the last item of each target category
• Sustained Attention: Maintaining focus over a repetitive series of trials without 'drifting'

Main Performance Metrics

• Accuracy: proportion correct recalled last target items

Psychiatric Conditions

The Keep Track Task performance has been found to be impaired in the following patient groups

• Schizophrenia
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Depression

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Keep Track Task.

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Yntema, D. B. (1963). Keeping track of several things at once. Human Factors, 5, 7–17.

Dafters, R. (2006). Chronic ecstasy (MDMA) use is associated with deficits in task-switching but not inhibition or memory updating executive functions. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 83(2), 181-184.

Friedman, N.P., Miyake, A., Young, S.E., DeFries, J.C., Corley, R.P., & Hewitt, J.K. (2008). Individual Differences in Executive Functions Are Almost Entirely Genetic in Origin. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 137, 201-225.

Tamnes, Christian K., Ostby, Ylva, Walhovd, Kristine B., Westlye, Lars T., Due-Tonnessen, Paulina, & Fjell, Anders M. (2010). Neuroanatomical Correlates of Executive Functions in Children and Adolescents: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Study of Cortical Thickness. Neuropsychologia, 48(9), 2496-2508.

Tamnes, Christian K., Walhovd, Kristine B., Grydeland, Håkon, Holland, Dominic, Østby, Ylva, Dale, Anders M., & Fjell, Anders M. (2013). Longitudinal Working Memory Development Is Related to Structural Maturation of Frontal and Parietal Cortices. 25(10), 1611-1623.