Connect

Assessment

What is it?

“Connect” is a psychometric game that blends psychometric testing with gaming technology to assess psychological constructs such as individual skills, capacities, or characteristics. The game employs scientifically sound methods to measure these constructs accurately.

Based on the Tower of London neuropsychological test (Shallice, 1982), “Connect” evaluates the cognitive skill of planning, which is commonly assessed in scientific and psychodiagnostic settings. Game elements are added to enhance engagement and motivation, leading candidates to become fully immersed in gameplay (a state known as ‘flow’) and less aware of the evaluative aspect. This immersion helps capture the candidate’s optimal performance. The use of game technology not only improves the candidate experience but also facilitates more precise measurement of planning skills, enabling the collection of extensive data in a shorter timeframe.

Information

Provider:

Ixly

What it measures:

•

Planning

•

Perseverance

Categories:

•

Games

Measurement Objectives

“Connect” measures spatial planning skills, which involve understanding the steps necessary to achieve a goal. This requires several underlying skills:

  • Assessing how much the current situation differs from the intended goal.
  • Identifying the changes needed to move towards the goal.
  • Generating and weighing alternative steps to achieve the goal.
  • Implementing the plan based on a mental representation.

Use

“Connect” is suitable for any context where planning skills are essential, including both selection and advisory scenarios. Planning is crucial for handling non-routine tasks, as each new task or project requires the formulation of a plan to be successfully completed. This involves determining the necessary steps, their order, and carrying them out effectively.

Results

The results section offers insights into performance characteristics based on how the game was played, expressed as sten scores. Sten scores are standardized with an average of 5.5 and a standard deviation of 2, showing how the candidate's scores compare to the reference group. Detailed explanations of the reported results, measurement methods, and definitions are provided in subsequent fact sheets.

Development

The game is built on the Tower of London test and is enhanced with game features like graphics, levels, rewards, and feedback. The tasks were developed and evaluated by a team of five psychologists and one game developer, with improvements made based on feedback from participants in three qualitative pilot studies. A usability study was conducted to ensure alignment with the target audience, the general Dutch workforce. User experience and game interpretation were analyzed through think-aloud and probing interviews with 23 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, educational levels, ages, and varying game and computer experience. These insights guided further refinements, making the game and tutorials accessible to a broad audience.

Reference Group

The reference group is based on data collected from a sample of 183 individuals, representative of the Dutch labor force in terms of employment status, gender, age, and educational level.

Key features

Development

The game is built on the Tower of London test and is enhanced with game features like graphics, levels, rewards, and feedback. The tasks were developed and evaluated by a team of five psychologists and one game developer, with improvements made based on feedback from participants in three qualitative pilot studies. A usability study was conducted to ensure alignment with the target audience, the general Dutch workforce. User experience and game interpretation were analyzed through think-aloud and probing interviews with 23 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, educational levels, ages, and varying game and computer experience. These insights guided further refinements, making the game and tutorials accessible to a broad audience.

References

Shallice, T. (1982). Specific impairments of planning. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, 298, 199–209. doi:10.1098/rstb.1982.0082