Evidence Supports the Validity and Reliability of Response Times from a Brief Survey as a Digital Biomarker for Processing Speed in a Large Panel Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Faul J ; Galama T ; Gao H ; Gatz M ; Hernandez R ; Jin H ; Junghaenel DU ; Kapteyn A ; Lee P-J ; Maupin D ; Meijer E ; Orriens B ; Schneider S ; Stone AA ; Zelinski E
• Description:
  Survey response times (RTs) have hitherto untapped potential to allow researchers to gain more detailed insights into the cognitive performance of participants in online panel studies. We examined if RTs recorded from a brief online survey could serve as a digital biomarker for processing speed. Data from 9,893 adults enrolled in the nationally representative Understanding America Study were used in the analyses. Hypotheses included that people's average survey RTs would have a large correlation with an established processing speed test, small to moderate correlations with other cognitive tests, and associations with functional impairment. We also hypothesized that survey RTs would have sensitivity to various participant characteristics comparable to the established processing speed test's sensitivity (e.g., similar standardized means by gender). Overall, results support the validity and reliability of people's average RTs to survey items as a digital biomarker for processing speed. The correlation between survey RTs (reverse scored) and the formal processing speed test was 0.61 (p<0.001), and small to moderate associations with most other cognitive and functional status measures were observed. Sensitivity of survey RTs to various participant characteristics was nearly identical to the formal processing speed test. Survey RTs may be useful as proxies for processing speed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomarkers Epidemiology Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Processing Speed Biological Monitoring Cognitive Function Cognitive Health Panel Studies Paradata Questionnaires
• ISSN:
  0002-9262
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Michigan ; San Francisco Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070702
• Citation:
  Am J Epidemiol 2025 Jan; :[Epub ahead of print]
• Contact Point Address:
  Raymond Hernandez, University of Southern California, Dornsife Center for Self-Report Science 635 Downey Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-3332, United States
• Email:
  hern939@usc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Southern California
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20240901
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Epidemiology
• End Date:
  20270831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:965e6c84b07c19c1eb3c01b49653eedd6700202214c33ff4ae05b90040c5b0e8555202d5e1fa81c5cb7723f233c645d2a5b2901b2e0d677c481101bcb551c8c6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208876/cdc_208876_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 596.20 KB ]