The Continuous Matching Task (CMT) - real-time procedural stimulus generation for adaptive testing of attention.

The Continuous Matching Task (CMT) is a novel paradigm designed to measure sustained attention and alertness. It is a special type of Continuous Performance Task (CPT) that utilizes truly continuous stimulus material. Stimuli are generated in real-time by a procedural algorithm which also enables adaptive testing. The task is highly flexible and can be used in either single or dual-task configurations that also allow for task mixing. The functionality of the algorithm and applications are presented. The viability of the CMT is tested and results are compared with similar tasks, i.e. Stroop-Task and Conner's CPT (CCPT), as well as self-reports of ADHD in adults in a Multi-Trait-Multi-Method approach in a sample of N = 122 participants. Self-reports and measurements of heart rate variability during testing are analyzed to infer and compare mental workload during tasks. Overall, variants of the CMT induce a higher mental workload than the other tasks, and employing the dual-task CMT with adaptive difficulty resulted in the highest reliability and validity. Results indicate that the CMT is primarily a measure of alertness and processing speed and benefits from adaptive testing.

The validation of the English Impostor-Profile 30 and the exploratory formulation of the learned helplessness model of the impostor phenomenon.

The learned helplessness model of the Impostor Phenomenon is an exploratory approach to explain the Impostor Phenomenon by linking the constructs of growth mindset, learned helplessness, grit, thought-action fusion, and defensive pessimism. In this study, we (a) confirmatorily tested the factor structure of the English IPP30, (b) examined the instrument's nomological validity, and (c) exploratorily formulated a path model to explain the effects of learned helplessness on the Impostor Phenomenon. The sample consisted of n = 376 persons (46% female). The CFI indicated the bifactorial model of the English IPP30 as best-fitting, while the subscale correlations suggested the instrument's nomological validity. The exploratory path model showed sufficient goodness of fit. It proclaims a labeling as talented that decreases the growth mindset expression, which negatively correlates with learned helplessness. In addition, the model states learned helplessness as a central model component associated with grit, thought-action fusion, and finally, the Impostor Phenomenon.

Examining the Impostor-Profile-Is There a General Impostor Characteristic?

The Impostor-Profile (IPP) is a six-dimensional questionnaire measuring the Impostor Phenomenon facets. This study aims to test (a) the appropriateness of a total score, (b) measurement invariance (MI) between gender, (c) the reliability of the IPP, and (d) the convergent validity of the IPP subscales. The sample consisted of N = 482 individuals (64% female). To identify whether the scales of the IPP form a total score, we compared four models: (1) six correlating subscales, (2) a general factor model, (3) a second-order model with one second-order factor and six first-order factors, and (4) a bifactorial model with six group factors. The bifactorial model obtained the best fit. This supports the assumption of a total impostor score. The inspection of structural validity between gender subgroups showed configural, metric, and partial scalar MI. Factor mean comparisons supported the assumption that females and males differ in latent means of the Impostor Phenomenon expressions. The omega coefficients showed sufficient reliability (≥0.71), except for the subscale Need for Sympathy. Overall, the findings of the bifactor model fit and construct validity support the assumption that the measurement through total expression is meaningful in addition to the theoretically formulated multidimensionality of the Impostor Phenomenon.