title: Optimization of a goal maintenance task for use in clinical applications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We sought to develop a Dot Pattern Expectancy task (DPX) to assess goal maintenance for use in clinical trials. Altering the standard task created 5 versions of the DPX to compare-a standard version and 4 others. Alterations in the interstimulus interval (ISI) length and the strength of a learned prepotent response distinguished the different tasks. These adjustments were designed to decrease administration time and/or improve reliability of the data.
  
  
  METHODS
  We determined participant eligibility in an initial session (the first of 3) using clinical interviewing tools. The initial session also included a demographic assessment and assessments of community functioning and symptom severity. All versions of the DPX were administered, across 3 sessions. Specific deficits on the context processing compared with difficulty control condition were evaluated using mixed-effects logistic regression within a hierarchical linear model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed the data from 136 control participants and 138 participants with schizophrenia. Relative to a difficulty control condition, patients performed worse than controls on context processing conditions that required goal maintenance. ISI did not predict errors. Stronger prepotency was associated with increased errors in the difficulty control relative to context processing condition for controls, which improved the interpretability of findings for patients. Reliability was acceptable for a version of the task with a 10-minute running time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The best compromise between task duration and interpretability occurred on a version with a short ISI and a strong prepotency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Dori
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Andrew B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Poppe
authors.forename: Deanna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Barch
authors.forename: Cameron S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ragland
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Silverstein
authors.forename: Milton E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.forename: Angus W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: MacDonald
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome