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Cognitive Games

For a high-level overview of data collection capabilities, see Collect Rich Data.

mindLAMP includes 30 cognitive games — brief, tap-based assessments of cognitive performance. Each is built on an established experimental paradigm from cognitive psychology and neuropsychology, and each records timestamped, structured output: not only whether a response was correct, but the reaction times and response patterns behind it.

The games are grouped below by cognitive domain; each links to its reference page for the full data schema, scoring, and configuration. For ActivitySpec identifiers and Cortex-feature status, see the Activity Reference; for the shared event structure, see Activity Data Format.

Attention & inhibitory control

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
StroopSelective attention and interference controlStroop effect (incongruent − congruent RT)
FlankerAttentional control and conflict resolutionFlanker effect (response-time cost)
Pop the BubblesSustained attention and response inhibition (go/no-go)Commission and omission error rates
Cats and DogsAttention, response control, and set-shiftingAccuracy and response time
D-CogAdaptive attention and response controlIRT ability estimate (0–10)

Working memory

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
N-BackWorking-memory updatingd′ (sensitivity) and response criterion
Digit SpanVerbal working-memory spanForward and backward span
Spatial SpanVisuospatial working-memory spanMaximum Corsi span
Memory MatchShort-term visuospatial recognitionMean moves to clear; perfect rounds

Processing speed

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
Simple & Choice Reaction TimePsychomotor speed and decision timeSimple and choice reaction times
Symbol-Digit SubstitutionProcessing speed and associative learningCorrect responses per minute
Jewels AVisuomotor processing speed (Trail Making A)Completion time and accuracy

Executive function & planning

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
Tower of LondonPlanning and problem-solvingProblems solved in the minimum moves; excess moves
Wisconsin Card Sorting TestCognitive flexibility and set-shiftingPerseverative errors; categories completed
Water SortPlanning and sequencingSolved in the minimum pours; excess pours
NonogramDeductive reasoning and constraint satisfactionPuzzles solved; errors
Trails BSet-shifting (Trail Making B)Completion time and accuracy
Jewels BSet-shifting (Trail Making B analog)Completion time and accuracy

Learning & memory

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
Funny MemoryAssociative learning and recallForced-choice recall accuracy
Memory GameSequence and spatial-location recallEncoding and recall accuracy
Fragmented LettersVisual perceptual identificationAudio responses (scored offline)

Spatial cognition

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
Mental RotationSpatial visualizationAccuracy and reaction time by rotation angle
Sliding PuzzleSpatial planning and problem-solvingMove efficiency (optimal ÷ actual)
Maze GameSpatial navigationTime and levels completed

Language

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
Lexical DecisionLexical access and word recognitiond′; word-frequency effect
Letter LogicVocabulary and hypothesis testingRounds solved; mean guesses

Social cognition

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
Emotion RecognitionFacial-emotion identificationCorrect identifications per trial

Decision-making & risk

GameWhat it measuresPrimary output
Balloon RiskRisk-taking (BART)Adjusted average pumps
Spin the WheelReward learning under uncertaintyRisk-taking rate; final balance
Delay DiscountingTemporal impulsivityArea under the curve; hyperbolic k

Data & scoring

Every game produces an ActivityEvent with a session-level summary (static_data) and per-action detail (temporal_slices), so both the outcome and the process behind it are available in the raw data export. The metrics above are computed in-app and stored on each event (Fragmented Letters is the exception — it is scored offline from its audio responses).

A subset of the games — Jewels A and B, Spatial Span, Cats and Dogs, and Pop the Bubbles — also feed derived Cortex features for longitudinal analysis. The Activity Reference lists each game's ActivitySpec identifier and its current Cortex status.

Used in research

mindLAMP's cognitive games have been validated against gold-standard neuropsychological measures: the Jewels Trail Tests (digital Trail Making analogs) have been validated against the paper Trail Making Test in schizophrenia (Shvetz et al., 2021) and in major depression (Thérond, 2021). The broader smartphone battery has been evaluated in multi-site schizophrenia cohorts (Castillo et al., 2025).

These assessments have also been used in longitudinal digital-phenotyping research across schizophrenia (Liu et al., 2019), Parkinson's disease (Weizenbaum et al., 2021), and first-episode psychosis (Lakhtakia et al., 2022).

For the full list of studies, see Publications.