Five domains, each with a long literature.
The constructs behind WelloRise and WelloWize — each with the paradigm we use, what the literature establishes, and the operational caveats we hold ourselves to.
Which cognitive constructs does WelloWork measure? Five: working memory, processing speed, attention, problem solving, and cognitive flexibility. Each one maps to an established cognitive-science paradigm — N-back, symbol substitution, Posner-style attention, Raven reasoning, and task-switching — adapted for short, daily sessions inside a workplace platform.
What is working memory and how do we measure it?
Working memory is the capacity to hold and manipulate information in mind. We operationalise it through N-back tasks (after Baddeley and the broader span literature) with adaptive difficulty per session. Working memory is one of the most predictive cognitive constructs for academic and complex-task performance in the published literature, though transfer to job-level outcomes is more domain-specific.
Review six supplier proposals. Recall key figures while comparing the last two against the first.
What is processing speed and how do we measure it?
Processing speed measures how fast simple cognitive operations can be performed. We use symbol-substitution-style tasks (a paradigm with a long history in cognitive assessment) and short choice-reaction designs. Processing speed is notably sensitive to sleep deprivation and acute fatigue, which is part of why it's useful in a workplace context.
Flag anomalies in a live operations feed before the next status report goes out.
What is attention and how do we measure it?
Attention spans multiple sub-constructs: sustained, selective, alerting, orienting, executive. We focus on sustained attention (vigilance under a continuous task) and selective attention (filtering distractors) via Posner-style cueing paradigms, adapted for in-platform sessions.
Monitor a six-channel ops dashboard for twenty minutes. Surface genuine drift; ignore routine noise.
What is problem solving and how do we measure it?
Non-verbal reasoning under constraints. We use Raven-style progressive matrices and tower-of-Hanoi-style problems, with explicit time-on-task tracking. Problem solving is the construct most influenced by domain knowledge, which is why we report it alongside the role-specific technical screens in WelloWize.
A recurring scheduling conflict spans three teams and two constraints. Identify the resolvable axis first.
What is cognitive flexibility and how do we measure it?
The ability to shift between rule sets and contexts. Operationalised through task-switching designs (after Monsell, 2003 and the broader executive-function literature), with switch-cost reduction tracked over time as a signal of flexibility under low-stakes conditions.
Switch between three escalation queues with different rules. Apply the right rule before the wrong reflex.
Why not just use cognitive games?
Research consistently shows people get better at cognitive games — not at complex real-world tasks. WelloWork scenarios are grounded in behavioral field work, not gamified proxies.
Improves at the game. Transfer to real work: limited.
Captures how you actually reason and decide. Built from field observations.
What about constructs we don't measure?
We deliberately do not score personality, mood, or emotion via the cognitive battery. Personality assessment is its own discipline with its own rigour requirements; we have nothing useful to add there and we're cautious about its workplace use in any case. Mood is captured by employees themselves as optional context for their own trend view; managers don't see it.