Psychometric Validation and Preliminary Clinical Correlation of an Experiential Foraging Task.

Measuring the function of decision-making systems reliably is a key goal to assess cognitive functions that underlie psychopathology. However, few metrics are demonstrably reliable, clinically relevant, and able to capture complex overlapping cognitive domains while quantifying heterogeneity across...

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Published in:Assessment Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 1068 - 1087
Main Authors: McInnes, Aaron N., Sullivan, Christi R. P., MacDonald III, Angus W., Widge, Alik S.
Format: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Sage Publications Inc. Sep2026
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Sep2026
      vid: 33
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      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
      place: Thousand Oaks, California
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        atl: Psychometric Validation and Preliminary Clinical Correlation of an Experiential Foraging Task.
      aug:
        au:
          McInnes, Aaron N.
          Sullivan, Christi R. P.
          MacDonald III, Angus W.
          Widge, Alik S.
        affil: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Psychometrics Evaluation
          Neuropsychological Tests Evaluation
          Instrument Validation
          Decision Making
          Psychopathology
          Mental Disorders
          Motivation
          Reliability
          Human
          United States
          Behavioral Research
          Reward
          Experimental Studies
          Impulsive Behavior
          Descriptive Statistics
          Data Analysis Software
          Validation Studies
          Cognition Evaluation
          Reliability and Validity
          Reproducibility of Results
          Task Performance and Analysis
          Intraclass Correlation Coefficient
          Factor Analysis
          Executive Function
          Personality
          Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale
          Scales
          Psychological Tests
          Funding Source
      ab: Measuring the function of decision-making systems reliably is a key goal to assess cognitive functions that underlie psychopathology. However, few metrics are demonstrably reliable, clinically relevant, and able to capture complex overlapping cognitive domains while quantifying heterogeneity across individuals. The WebSurf task is a reverse-translational human experiential foraging paradigm that indexes naturalistic and clinically relevant decision-making. To determine its potential clinical utility, we examined the psychometric properties and clinical correlates of behavioral parameters extracted from WebSurf in an initial exploratory experiment (N = 132) and a preregistered validation experiment (N = 109). Behavior was stable over repeated administrations of the task, as were individual differences. The ability to measure decision-making consistently supports WebSurf's potential utility to predict treatment response, monitor clinical change, and define neurocognitive profiles associated with psychopathology. Moreover, specific WebSurf metrics were predicted by psychiatric symptoms in a replicable manner. Mania and externalizing symptom profiles predicted variability in reward pursuit, while externalizing profiles also predicted reward evaluation. These replicable results suggest that WebSurf and similar paradigms offer promising platforms for computational psychological methods, providing reliable, clinically relevant metrics of decision-making that may enhance psychiatric assessment and personalize treatment approaches.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        pictorial
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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