Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect
The time on task (ToT) effect describes the relationship of the time spent on a cognitive task and the probability of successful task completion. The effect has been shown to vary in size and direction across tests and even within tests, depending on the test taker and item characteristics. Specific...
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Intelligence |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/11/5/82 |
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| author | Raimund J. Krämer Marco Koch Julie Levacher Florian Schmitz |
| author_facet | Raimund J. Krämer Marco Koch Julie Levacher Florian Schmitz |
| author_sort | Raimund J. Krämer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The time on task (ToT) effect describes the relationship of the time spent on a cognitive task and the probability of successful task completion. The effect has been shown to vary in size and direction across tests and even within tests, depending on the test taker and item characteristics. Specifically, investing more time has a positive effect on response accuracy for difficult items and low ability test-takers, but a negative effect for easy items and high ability test-takers. The present study sought to test the replicability of this result pattern of the ToT effect across samples independently drawn from the same populations of persons and items. Furthermore, its generalizability was tested in terms of differential correlations across ability tests. To this end, ToT effects were estimated for three different reasoning tests and one test measuring natural sciences knowledge in 10 comparable subsamples with a total <i>N</i> = 2640. Results for the subsamples were highly similar, demonstrating that ToT effects are estimated with sufficient reliability. Generally, faster answers tended to be more accurate, suggesting a relatively effortless processing style. However, with increasing item difficulty and decreasing person ability, the effect flipped to the opposite direction, i.e., higher accuracy with longer processing times. The within-task moderation of the ToT effect can be reconciled with an account on effortful processing or cognitive load. By contrast, the generalizability of the ToT effect across different tests was only moderate. Cross-test relations were stronger in relative terms if performance in the respective tasks was more strongly related. This suggests that individual differences in the ToT effect depend on test characteristics such as their reliabilities but also similarities and differences of their processing requirements. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:36:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-04ad5717522d499eac085e18ce8557df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-3200 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:36:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Intelligence |
| spelling | doaj.art-04ad5717522d499eac085e18ce8557df2023-11-18T01:57:43ZengMDPI AGJournal of Intelligence2079-32002023-04-011158210.3390/jintelligence11050082Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task EffectRaimund J. Krämer0Marco Koch1Julie Levacher2Florian Schmitz3Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 2, 45141 Essen, GermanyIndividual Differences & Psychodiagnostics, Saarland University, Campus A1.3, 66123 Saarbrücken, GermanyIndividual Differences & Psychodiagnostics, Saarland University, Campus A1.3, 66123 Saarbrücken, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 2, 45141 Essen, GermanyThe time on task (ToT) effect describes the relationship of the time spent on a cognitive task and the probability of successful task completion. The effect has been shown to vary in size and direction across tests and even within tests, depending on the test taker and item characteristics. Specifically, investing more time has a positive effect on response accuracy for difficult items and low ability test-takers, but a negative effect for easy items and high ability test-takers. The present study sought to test the replicability of this result pattern of the ToT effect across samples independently drawn from the same populations of persons and items. Furthermore, its generalizability was tested in terms of differential correlations across ability tests. To this end, ToT effects were estimated for three different reasoning tests and one test measuring natural sciences knowledge in 10 comparable subsamples with a total <i>N</i> = 2640. Results for the subsamples were highly similar, demonstrating that ToT effects are estimated with sufficient reliability. Generally, faster answers tended to be more accurate, suggesting a relatively effortless processing style. However, with increasing item difficulty and decreasing person ability, the effect flipped to the opposite direction, i.e., higher accuracy with longer processing times. The within-task moderation of the ToT effect can be reconciled with an account on effortful processing or cognitive load. By contrast, the generalizability of the ToT effect across different tests was only moderate. Cross-test relations were stronger in relative terms if performance in the respective tasks was more strongly related. This suggests that individual differences in the ToT effect depend on test characteristics such as their reliabilities but also similarities and differences of their processing requirements.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/11/5/82time on taskresponse timeassessmentreplicationfigural matricesconditional dependency |
| spellingShingle | Raimund J. Krämer Marco Koch Julie Levacher Florian Schmitz Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect Journal of Intelligence time on task response time assessment replication figural matrices conditional dependency |
| title | Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect |
| title_full | Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect |
| title_fullStr | Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect |
| title_full_unstemmed | Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect |
| title_short | Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect |
| title_sort | testing replicability and generalizability of the time on task effect |
| topic | time on task response time assessment replication figural matrices conditional dependency |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/11/5/82 |
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