# Testing early markers of cognitive decline and dementia derived from survey response behaviors

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2020 · $820,849

## Abstract

7. Project Summary/Abstract
Discovering preclinical markers of cognitive and functional decline in mild cognitive impairment and dementia
is fundamental for treatment development and to delay disease onset and progression. Subtle functional
deficits on cognitively demanding activities often foreshadow dementia onset, but these early deficits are
difficult to assess objectively with conventional methods. The proposed studies aspire to develop and validate
performance-based indices for measuring functional deficits at older ages that are cost-effective, unobtrusive,
and that could serve as early markers of subsequent cognitive decline and dementia. Specifically, we propose to
develop indices of functional deficits that can be derived from participant response behaviors in existing
population representative surveys. Completing a survey is a complex and cognitively demanding task that taxes
a respondent's neuropsychological capacity. By focusing on how individuals complete surveys, we aim to derive
a series of indices of functional deficits using two approaches: (1) The first approach consists of indices that are
directly computed from participants' response patterns in questionnaires to capture invalid, incoherent, or
erroneous responding on rating scales (examples include agreeing or disagreeing with statements regardless of
content, skipping questions, or giving contradictory responses). (2) The second approach considers indices
derived from individuals' computer use behavior in online surveys to measure the efficiency, speed, and
consistency of behaviors during the completion of online surveys (examples include the proportion of
corrected/changed answers, average response time, and response time variability). To evaluate the validity and
clinical utility of the indices, we will systematically examine their associations with conceptually related
constructs (concurrent cognitive test scores, instrumental activities of daily living, financial wellbeing, frailty),
their sensitivity to change with age, their ability to predict subsequent cognitive decline, and their ability to
predict the subsequent onset of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Self-report surveys administered
regularly in 16 existing longitudinal panel studies (>50,000 participants) will provide a rich basis for
developing and testing indices derived from response patterns in questionnaires. An ongoing population
representative Internet panel will provide the opportunity to test computer use behavior indices that are
unobtrusively recorded “in the background” of online surveys. Marshalling multiple datasets and aggregating
results across diverse samples and survey measures using identical data-analytic models will greatly enhance
generalizability and test the breadth of applicability of each index. Examining the predictive accuracy of the
indices alone and in concert will allow us to identify those indices that contribute substantial prognostic
information and those that provide i...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10030854
- **Project number:** 1R01AG068190-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Stefan Schneider
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $820,849
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10030854

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10030854, Testing early markers of cognitive decline and dementia derived from survey response behaviors (1R01AG068190-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10030854. Licensed CC0.

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