Moving from the Mental Laboratory to the Real World: Introducing New GMT Interactive Tasks

Apr 2 / Bri Darboh, MBA, Ph.D., C.Psych. (Supervised Practice) & Matt McPhee, Ph.D., C.Psych.
We all love hard evidence: proof that the effort we put forth was worth it. GMT’s “Mental Laboratory” provides feedback opportunities through interactive tasks, ranging from sterile laboratory tasks (e.g., the fruit task) up to tasks that mimic real-life situations (the Bookkeeping tasks). The Mental Laboratory is for clients to see how applied GMT strategies work. The Mental Laboratory tasks are standardized, meaning that they are done the same way from one client to the next. While standardization is necessary for objective feedback, this comes at the sacrifice of applicability to real-world scenarios that are inherently unique.

With this in mind, we recently created a new set of GMT interactive tasks that prioritize real-world applications of GMT skills. As a complement to the existing GMT Mental Laboratory tasks, we sought to maintain the original structure and brevity that made these tasks so useful. Considering the growing use of remote technologies in service delivery, we developed tasks to be used with or without direct therapist involvement.

Complex Tasks: Choose Your Own Adventure 


The original Mental Laboratory Complex Tasks mirror tasks used in studies of patients with impaired executive functions who lose track of the main goal under time pressure. Whereas the original tasks used activities like word search and card sorting, the new tasks draw upon real-life scenarios that are prone to attentional slips, like packing for a trip.

We generated tasks along different ‘themes’ to capture diverse interests while adhering to a common structure for each task, including entertaining (e.g., planning a party), finance (e.g., budgeting), and travel (e.g., planning a road trip). For each task, clients draw upon real information (e.g., travel websites) to meet the requirements. Altogether, there are 12 new complex tasks of varying difficulty for clients to practice GMT skills in real-world scenarios.
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Check please! Translating the Bookkeeping Tasks to a Restaurant Scenario

The Bookkeeping Tasks occur near the end of GMT, integrating the principles learned to date with an emphasis on CHECK-ing (monitoring) goals. In our new versions of these tasks, clients assume the role of a server working at a busy restaurant on the busiest day of the year (the Super Bowl), trying to maximize tips. Clients are challenged with applying the full sequence of GMT strategies to manage complex competing demands for patrons, while also paying attention to changing circumstances (e.g., food availability). While most clients lack experience working as a server, this scenario will resonate with people’s experiences in similar high-pressure situations.

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How to Use the New GMT Tasks

These tasks are available in PDF form to those who have access to the GMT Therapist Community which is provided with purchase of the GMT Digital Tools or Kits or separately as a year GMT Operator subscription. You can find them in the “NEW!!! **Supplemental Complex Tasks**” section along with detailed instructions (see below for links). Subscribers are welcome to download the PDFs and share them with their clients. If you have any comments or concerns, please share them by emailing us at GoalManagementTraining@research.baycrest.org.


DR. BRI DARBOH IS A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST IN SUPERVISED PRACTICE AT BAYCREST IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE HEALTH AND ADJUNCT FACULTY AT THE SCHULICH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS.

DR. MATT MCPHEE IS A CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST AT BAYCREST IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE HEALTH AND A POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW AT BAYCREST’S ROTMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE.

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Complex Tasks on Digital Tools

To access the new GMT Complex Tasks on Digital tools, please click here.

Complex Tasks on the GMT Therapist Community

To access the new GMT Complex Tasks on the GMT Therapist Community, please click here.


Not a subscriber to GMT? Click here for more information on how to access the GMT Digital Tools and therapist community.