The additional activities are a set of short online exercises designed to assess memory, attention and problem-solving. The activities measure things such as how long you can focus on something without making errors, how much information you can hold in memory at one time, and how you approach and solve logical problems.
You may remember completing similar activities as part of previous BCS70 surveys. Asking you to do activities like these helps us better understand how the brain works and how memory, attention and problem-solving can change throughout our lives. It also helps us explore how life experiences and circumstances, such as education, work and health, may influence these skills in later life.
The activities take around 25 minutes in total, though this may vary slightly depending on your pace and circumstances. Each individual activity takes around 2–3 minutes. You can take breaks between activities if needed and return to where you left off using your login details or the link we sent you.
After we have sent invites to complete the online questionnaire, we will send you a separate invite with information about the additional activities we’d like you to do. The activities can only be completed online, so you will need a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Before each activity begins, you will be given clear instructions […]
We are committed to making these activities as accessible as reasonably possible while ensuring that they continue to measure the cognitive abilities they are designed to assess. Where appropriate, the activities include accessibility features such as: colour palettes selected to support participants with common forms of colour vision deficiency simple response methods (such as single […]
If you have any problems taking part online, please contact the NatCen research team by email at bcs70@natcen.ac.uk or on 0800 526 397 between 9am to 7pm on Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm on Friday, 10am to 3pm on Saturday (free from UK landlines and mobiles, charges may apply outside the UK).
You can use any device, but we would recommend completing them using one with a larger screen, if possible, like a laptop or iPad.
Some activities may feel challenging. Please just give each one your best try. It is important that you complete the activities yourself without help from anyone else.
Yes – the activities can only be completed online. If you have difficulty accessing these, please contact the NatCen team by email at bcs70@natcen.ac.uk or on 0800 526 397 between 9am to 7pm on Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm on Friday, 10am to 3pm on Saturday (free from UK landlines and mobiles, charges may apply […]
No — your participation is entirely voluntary. You can choose to complete just the questionnaire and opt out of the additional activities. Or you can choose to do the activities and opt out of the questionnaire. If you do decide to complete these activities, you can stop at any point if you no longer wish to continue. […]
