Neurocognitive assessment on a tablet device: Test–retest reliability and practice effects of ANAM Mobile

Abstract

New technology has allowed for the transition of computerized neurocognitive assessments to increasingly user-friendly mobile platforms. While this increased portability facilitates neurocognitive assessment in a wider variety of settings, this transition necessitates further examination of the psychometric properties of tests that have been previously validated on alternate platforms. The present study evaluated the test-retest reliability and practice effects for a new version of the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM), ANAM Mobile, designed to be administered on a tablet computer. A total of 108 undergraduate students completed ANAM Mobile and returned after one week for repeated testing. Observed test–retest reliabilities were consistent with previously established estimates across similar time intervals and ranged from .55 (Simple Response Time) to .87 (Matching to Sample). Modest practice effects were observed. Base rates of reliable decline were low and suggested that declines on two or more tests are uncommon among healthy college students. The present study demonstrates that ANAM Mobile subtests have good-to-excellent reliability across a 7-day retest interval with minimal practice effects. Future research should explore within-subject reliability across repeated ANAM administrations on a tablet device and further examine retest reliabilities over varying time courses and in more diverse samples.