Summary
Active Tasks in ResearchKit allow researchers to collect data directly from study participants through physical performance activities. These tasks use sensors and other features on iOS and Android devices to provide reliable and precise measurements of various physical and cognitive functions.
Details
Active Tasks are a suite of standardized activities designed to collect objective data from participants. They include predefined tasks such as motor activities, fitness assessments, cognitive tests, and other sensor-based measurements. Researchers can integrate these tasks into their studies to gather real-time, performance-based data.
Types of Active Tasks
Motor Activities: These tasks assess movement and coordination, leveraging the device's accelerometer, gyroscope, and other motion sensors. Examples include Range of Motion and Tapping Speed.
Fitness Assessments: These tasks evaluate physical fitness through activities such as walking or stair climbing, using the device’s pedometer and geolocation features to collect data. Examples include Fitness and Timed Walk.
Cognitive Tests: These tasks measure cognitive functions like memory, reaction time, and attention through interactive touch-based activities. Examples include the Stoop Test and the Paced Serial Addition Test.
Speech Assessments: These tasks record audio data and produce transcriptions generated by the software’s speech recognition. Analysis of the audio data may not be included in the ResearchKit framework. Examples include Speech Recognition and Speech-in-Noise.
Hearing: These tasks measure the user's hearing sensitivity at various frequencies. The data collected as part of these tasks include audio signal amplitude for specific frequencies and channels for each ear. Examples include Tone Audiometry.
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About the Author
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Nicole Eyrich, MPH is a clinical research program manager and technology specialist in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan. She has overseen the implementation of novel mobile health technology and wearable devices for more than 9,000 patients across multiple studies and centers. She has been the primary clinical research liaison to the UM IRB, ensuring that novel mobile health studies adhere to rigorous ethical standards, while innovating consent, enrollment, and data collection techniques. Nicole serves as an administrative lead for the Mobile and Technologies Research Innovation Collaborative (MeTRIC).
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