Cognitive Behavioral Assessment Toolbox (CBAT): An Open-Source Platform Supporting Experiments in Computational Psychiatry

AimLarge-scale (online) behavioral experiments are increasingly recognized as essential in psychiatric research based on a transdiagnostic dimensional view of mental disorders. However, advanced programming skills and substantial financial resources are usually needed to conduct such experiments, posing a barrier for new researchers. In this study, we introduce and validate an open-source platform, the Cognitive & Behavioral Assessment Toolbox (CBAT), which enables researchers to conduct large-scale behavioral experiments without the need for advanced programming expertise.MethodsTo validate the CBAT, we conducted an online behavioral experiment involving 1,309 Japanese participants. Participants completed four behavioral tasks and eleven self-report questionnaires, including psychiatric symptom scales, all of which can be deployed using the CBAT.ResultsWe successfully replicated key findings in prior studies that employed the four behavioral tasks. Factor analysis of the questionnaire data revealed three underlying dimensions of psychiatric symptoms—“Self-Regulation Difficulties and Emotional Distress,” “Obsessive-Compulsive,” and “Social Difficulty,” which are broadly consistent with previous findings in psychopathology.ConclusionThese findings demonstrate the empirical validity and broad utility of the CBAT. By facilitating behavioral experiments, the CBAT provides a flexible infrastructure to support transdiagnostic psychiatric research and investigations in other related fields. As it does not require advanced programming skills or significant financial resources, the CBAT lowers the barrier to conducting high-quality research and promotes open science in psychiatry.