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Active Tasks

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MyDataHelps supports delivering ResearchKit Active Tasks to participants. Active Tasks are advanced instruments that can measure cognition, gait and balance, hearing, reaction time, and more.

Table of Contents

Available Active Tasks

The following Active Tasks are supported by MyDataHelps. All Active Tasks are available on iOS devices, but only selected tasks are available on Android.

 

Task Available on iOS Available on Android Description

Audio

(Voice Recording / Sustained Phonation)

 ✓ ✓ The participant is asked to make a sustained sound, which the device records.
Fitness Check ✓ Limited The participant walks for a set duration while the device collects sensor data like motion, location, and heart rate (where available).
Gait and Balance ✓   The participant walks for a short distance while the device measures aspects of the participant's gait and balance.
Hole Peg Test ✓   The participant is asked to drag virtual pegs into target locations (holes) on the screen, and the device measures time and motion of the dragging movements.
Paced Serial Addition Test (PSAT) ✓   The participant is presented digits every few seconds and must add them to the previous digit. The device measures the accuracy and timing.
Range of Motion ✓   The participant follows movement instructions while the device measures flexed and extended knee or shoulder positions.

Normalized Reaction Time

 ✓   The participant is asked to respond to a visual cue on the device screen, and the device measures the reaction speed. In the Normalized Reaction Time test, they must tap the screen.
Spatial Span Memory ✓   The participant is asked to observe and recall pattern sequences, and the device records the accuracy and timing of the recall.
Stroop ✓   The participant is shown colored words or boxes and asked to select the first letter of the color. The device measures the accuracy and timing of the selections.
Tapping Interval ✓ ✓ The participant rapidly alternates between touching two targets on the screen with two fingers, and the device measures the speed and accuracy and timing of the touches.
Timed Walk ✓   The participant walks for a set distance, while the device measures motion and location (where available).
Tone Audiometry ✓   The participant is asked to respond to a series of audio tones playing on different channels (left/right), and the device records their responses.
Tower of Hanoi ✓   The participant is asked to move puzzle tiles to the target platform in as few moves as possible. The device records the moves.
Trailmaking ✓   The participant is asked to connect a series of labeled dots in a specified order, and the device measures accuracy and time.
Tremor Test ✓   The participant is asked to hold the device while it measures tremors.

Using Active Tasks

Active Tasks are available as stand-alone surveys that can quickly and easily be delivered to participants. These stand-alone surveys are pre-configured with commonly-used task settings. Some allow you to customize selected configuration options.

If you need to include an Active Task within another survey (as a survey step), or you need further customization, contact us to discuss custom survey development.

 

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Creating an Active Task Survey

To use one of the stand-alone Active Task surveys:

  1. Create a new survey.
  2. From the "Survey Type" menu in the top left corner of the survey editor, select the type of Active Task, e.g., Tower of Hanoi.
  3. In the right panel, customize your survey. The specific options available will vary depending on the task type.

Live preview is unavailable for active tasks, but you can still test your surveys before sending them to participants.

Data Produced by Active Tasks

Active Tasks produce a wide range of data. Many of the tasks that rely on sensor data do not produce a “score” but rather produce “raw” accelerometer, device motion, or pedometer data.

Active Task data is included in your survey result exports. For details, see Export Type and File Summary.

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