An individually calibrated task to induce cognitive fatigue and assess fatigability in children: the TloadDChild

Cognitive fatigue is predominantly investigated in adults but remains understudied in school-age children, despite being a frequent condition in their daily lives. In this proof-of-concept study, we present a new task designed to induce cognitive fatigue in children: the Time-load Dual task for Children (TloadDChild). This dual-task combines a Continuous Performance Task (CPT-X), and a binary choice task based on shape discrimination (round vs. pointed shapes). The task can be calibrated to allow individual adjustment of high (HCL) and low (LCL) cognitive load levels. The task also enables the investigation of underlying decision-making processes using the Drift Diffusion Model. A total of 43 typically developing French-speaking children (7-12 years old) completed the TloadDChild under both HCL and LCL conditions. We showed that the TloadDChild successfully induces cognitive fatigue in children and that cognitive load, manipulated through the HCL and LCL conditions, modulates both attentional performance and underlying decision-making processes. These findings provide evidence supporting the use of the TloadDChild to investigate the effects of cognitive load manipulation (HCL vs. LCL) on performance, cognitive fatigue, and underlying decision-making processes in school-age children.