Motor Praxis Test (MPT)

Background

The Motor Praxis Task (MPT) is cognitive-behavioral measure of psychomotor speed and visual tracking. It requires participants to quickly touch a series of stimuli -continuously decreasing in size- as they appear on the screen in random locations. The task was first published by Ruben C. Gur and colleagues as the 'Mouse Practice Task' in 2001 and is part of the Pennsylvania Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (Penn CNB). Yvonne Taylor and colleagues used the task under the name "Motor Praxis Test" as as a fast-paced baseline for physical and cognitive motor control in their 2019 study on on how fatigue impacts shift workers and drivers on the police force.

Task Procedure

In the Millisecond implementation of the task, participants are asked to quickly touch a series of blue dots as they appear on the black background screen in random locations. The dots continuously get smaller in size on each new trial. The task can be run on touchscreens with finger/stylus pen input or on non-touchscreens with mouse input. The task runs a short introductory practice session of five trials, during which the dots do not change size, before the 20 trial-test session begins. Once a dot is successfully selected, it gets erased and the next smaller one appears in another random screen location.

What it Measures

The Motor Praxis Task (MPT) measures psychomotor speed and visual tracking

Psychological domains

• Visuomotor Coordination: The ability of the brain, eyes, and body to work together on a task
• Psychomotor Speed: Ability of brain and muscles to work together fast to complete a physical movement task

Main Performance Metrics

• Average Speed: the mean/median response time (in ms) across the test trials; main response measure
• Speed Variability: the standard deviation (in ms) of the response times

Psychiatric Conditions

The following patient groups have been tested with the Motor Praxis Task

• Schizophrenia
• Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
• Sleep Deprivation

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Motor Praxis Test (MPT).

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Gur, R. C., Richard, J., Hughett, P., Calkins, M. E., Macy, L., Bilker, W. B., Brensinger, C., & Gur, R. E. (2010). A cognitive neuroscience-based computerized battery for efficient measurement of individual differences: Standardization and initial construct validation. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 187(2), 254–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2009.11.017

Taylor, Y., Merat, N., & Jamson, S. (2019). The Effects of Fatigue on Cognitive Performance in Police Officers and Staff During a Forward Rotating Shift Pattern. Safety and Health at Work, 10(1), 67–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2018.08.003