“Chase the target”

The Chase test measures visual motor control using a “chase the target” paradigm. This test is usually presented immediately before the Groton Maze Learning Test to familiarize the participant with the grid and to gain a measure of visuo-motor speed.

The Chase test uses the same size grid as the Groton Maze Learning Test (e.g., a 10 x 10 grid of tiles). A red target is presented in the top left tile; the participant must select this target to begin the test. The target will move randomly from tile to tile throughout the grid and the participant must chase it by selecting tiles one at a time. If the correct move is made, a green checkmark briefly appears. If the move is incorrect, a red cross is briefly revealed.

Cognitive Domain:
Visual Motor Control

Administration Time:
2 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Number of correct moves per second chasing the target.

“In what locations do these pictures belong?”

The Continuous Paired Associate Learning test measures visual memory using a paired associative learning paradigm. In this test, the participant must learn and remember the pictures hidden beneath different locations on the screen. In the first stage of the test the pre-test on-screen instructions ask: “In what locations do these pictures belong”. A picture is presented in the centre of the screen. The participant taps the peripheral location of the picture and must remember its location. During the second stage of the test the same pictures are presented in the centre of the screen, however the peripheral location of each picture is hidden. The participant must tap on the peripheral location where the picture previously appeared.

Cognitive Domain:
Paired Associate Learning

Administration Time:
7 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Total number of errors across the seven rounds in the test.

“Has the card turned over?”

The Detection test measures processing speed using a simple reaction time paradigm. The on-screen instructions ask: “Has the card turned over?”. A playing card is presented face down in the center of the screen. The card flips over so it is face up. As soon as the card flips over the participant must press “Yes”. The participant is encouraged to work as quickly as they can and be as accurate as possible.

Cognitive Domain:
Psychomotor Function

Administration Time:
3 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Speed of performance (mean of the log10 transformed reaction times for correct responses).

“Find the hidden pathway”

The Groton Maze Learning Test measures executive function using a maze learning paradigm. A 10 x 10 grid of tiles is presented to the participant on the screen. A 28-step pathway is hidden among these tiles. A blue tile indicates the start and a tile with red circles indicates the finish. The participant must move one step at a time from the start toward the end by touching a tile next to their current location. If the correct move is made a green checkmark appears and if the move is incorrect a red cross is revealed. Once completed, they are returned to the start location to repeat the test and must try to remember the pathway they have just completed.

The Groton Maze Learning Test is also available in a “Delayed Recall” version, which measures visual memory.

Cognitive Domain:
Executive Function

Administration Time:
7 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Total number of errors made in attempting to learn the same hidden pathway on five consecutive trials during a single session.

“Is the card red?”

The Identification test measures attention using a choice reaction time paradigm. The on-screen instructions ask: “Is the card red?”. A playing card is presented face down in the center of the screen. The card flips over so it is face up. As soon as it flips over the participant must decide whether the card is red or not. If it is red the participant should press “Yes”, and if it is not red the participant should press “No”. The participant is encouraged to work as quickly as they can and be as accurate as possible.

Cognitive Domain:
Attention

Administration Time:
3 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Speed of performance (mean of the log10 transformed reaction times for correct responses).

“Tell me as many of the items on the shopping list as you can remember?”

The International Shopping List Test measures verbal learning using a word list learning paradigm. The participant is read a shopping list and must remember and recall as many items from the list as possible.

The International Shopping List Test is also available in a “Delayed Recall” version, which measures verbal memory.

For the International Shopping List Test, the computer faces the test administrator and the screen is not visible to the test participant.

Cognitive Domain:
Verbal Learning

Administration Time:
5 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Total number of correct responses made in remembering the list on three consecutive trials at a single session.

“Have you seen this card before?”

The One Card Learning test measures visual memory using a pattern separation paradigm. The on-screen instructions ask: “Have you seen this card before in this test?”. A playing card is presented face up in the center of the screen and the participant must decide whether they have seen the card before in this test. The participant is encouraged to work as quickly as they can and be as accurate as possible.

Cognitive Domain:
Visual Learning

Administration Time:
6 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Accuracy of performance (arcsine transformation of the square root of the proportion of correct responses).

“Is the previous card the same?”

The One Back test measures working memory using an n-back paradigm. The on-screen instructions ask: “Is the previous card the same?”. A playing card is presented face up in the center of the screen. The participant must decide whether the card is the same as the previous card. If the card is the same the participant should press “Yes”, and if it is not the same the participant should press “No”. The participant is encouraged to work as quickly as they can and be as accurate as possible.

Cognitive Domain:
Working Memory

Administration Time:
4 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Speed of performance (mean of the log10 transformed reaction times for correct responses); Accuracy of performance (arcsine transformation of the square root of the proportion of correct responses).

“Is this a target card?”

The Set-Shifting test uses a set shifting paradigm to measure executive function. The on-screen instructions ask: “Is this a target card?”. A playing card is presented face up in the center of the screen with the word “Number” or “Color” above it. If the word is “Color” the participant must guess whether the target card is black or red. If the word is “Number” the participant must guess whether the current number displayed on the card is correct. At the beginning of the test, the participant simply needs to guess whether the current card is the target card. If they think the card is the target card, the participant should press “Yes”. If they think the card is not the target card, they must press “No”. As the participant makes their guesses, feedback is provided and the next card is not displayed until a correct response has been made. Once the participant has made their way through a set of cards the hidden rule changes (e.g., from one color to the other color [intra-dimensional shift], or from color to number [extra-dimensional shift]). The participant is not told when these set-shifts occur, and they must learn the new target rule to proceed through the test. The participant is encouraged to work as quickly as they can and be as accurate as possible.

Cognitive Domain:
Set Shifting (Executive Function)

Administration Time:
7 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Total number of errors made during the test.

“Tap the odd one out”

The Social-Emotional Cognition Test measures emotional recognition using an odd-man out paradigm. The on-screen instructions ask: “Tap the odd one out”. Four pictures are presented on the screen. One of these pictures will be different to the others and the participant must decide which picture is different and tap that picture. The participant is encouraged to work as quickly as they can and be as accurate as possible.

Cognitive Domain:
Emotional Recognition

Administration Time:
6 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Accuracy of performance (arcsine transformation of the square root of the proportion of correct responses).

“Is the card the same as that shown two cards ago?”

The Two Back test measures working memory using an n-back paradigm. The on-screen instructions ask: “Is the card the same as that shown two cards ago?”. A playing card is presented face up in the center of the screen. The participant must decide whether the card is the same as the card shown two cards previously. If the card is the same the participant should press “Yes”, and if it is not the same the participant should press “No”. The participant is encouraged to work as quickly as they can and be as accurate as possible.

Cognitive Domain:
Working Memory

Administration Time:
4 Minutes (for healthy participants)

Outcome Measures:
Accuracy of performance (arcsine transformation of the square root of the proportion of correct responses).