A user interface for spatial cognitive assessment using ActiveCube

Assessments of spatial, constructional ability are used widely in cognitive research and in clinical diagnosis of disease or injury. Some believe that three-dimensional (3D) forms of these assessments would be particularly sensitive, but difficulties with consistency in administration and scoring have limited their use. We describe a novel computerized user interface for 3D constructional assessment that increases consistency and promises improvements in flexibility, reliability, sensitivity and control. This user interface makes use of ActiveCube, which a user can input 3D shape to the computer in real-time. In testing, the proposal system was sensitive to differences in cognitive ability and task and correlated well to a standard paper-and-pencil 3D spatial assessment.