Description (task duration: 10 minutes): This task assesses the participant’s ability to retain spatial information while simultaneously manipulating remembered items in working memory. The objective of the task is to remember the sequence of locations where blue tokens were found (spatial memory), and simultaneously continue searching for tokens (processing component) without revisiting locations that have already yielded a token (memory component). Participants collect blue tokens that are hidden in an array of boxes (set size from 3-8 boxes). When an array of boxes is presented, participants must touch each box in turn with a touch-screen stylus until one reveals a blue token inside (a “search”). Once a blue token has been found, the participant will place it in the depository column on the right side of the screen (“home”), which indicates how many tokens remain in the sequence. The participant must search for the remaining tokens until one has been found in each box on the current screen. The boxes will remain on the screen after being touched, regardless of whether the participant locates blue tokens inside of them. The participant’s task is to remember where they find the tokens because, once a token has been found in a box, that box will never contain another token for that set. After a participant has found all blue tokens for an array of boxes, the task moves onto the next trial of boxes in a different array. This task contains 15 total trials. Trials 1-3 contain 3 boxes each, trials 4-7 contain 4 boxes each, trials 8-11 contain 6 boxes each, and trials 12-15 contain 8 boxes each. Performance in the more difficult trials of this task is enhanced by the use of a heuristic search strategy, which indicates that participants did not choose boxes at random.

Performance Errors: Two kinds of errors can be made: Between (memory) errors are when a participant returns to a box in which a token has already been found during the same search trial. Lower between error scores are better.
Within errors are when participants search any particular

Primary Reference:

Robbins T.W., et al. (1994). Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery
(CANTAB): A factor-analytic study of a large sample of normal elderly volunteers. Dementia, 5(5):266-281. https://doi.org/10.1159/000106735.
CANTAB Eclipse (2007).
https://www.cambridgecognition.com/cantab/cognitive-tests/executive-function/spatial-executive-function-swm

Description (task duration: 5 minutes): 7 blocks of 3 trials per block are presented unless task is terminated for poor performance. Participants listen to a series of numbers and letters (e.g., 1-J-A-6) and are asked to rearrange the items in their head and recite the sequence with the numbers first, in ascending order, followed by the letters, in alphabetical order (e.g., 1-6-A-J). Researchers present the letter-number strings at a rate of one letter or number per second. Responses are recorded for accuracy and each receives a score of correct (1) or incorrect (0). There are a total of 21 trials that range from 2-8-item strings and are presented from easiest to hardest. The task is terminated when a participant responds incorrectly to all three trials within a 3-item block. Otherwise, the researcher will continue and administer the next item of increased difficulty (higher total number of letters and numbers) until all seven blocks are completed. The variables of interest are the number of trials answered correctly in each block and the total number of trials correct across all blocks. A higher score indicates better working memory performance.

Primary Reference:

Wechsler, D., (1997). WAIS-III: Administration and scoring manual: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

Participants are presented with a simple arithmetic equation and they respond “yes” if the equation is accurate (e.g., (6/3) +5=7) and “no” if it is inaccurate (e.g., (3+6)/3=2). As soon as the subject responds, the equation disappears, and a concrete noun is presented. Participants read the word aloud. Participants are told to take as much time as is needed to answer the arithmetic portion but must immediately read the ensuing word after answering. Immediately after they pronounce the word, the next arithmetic-word string appears on the screen. After a block of equations and words is complete (number of items in block varies from 2-5), participants are shown a screen with three question marks and prompted to write down all the words they remembered from that block in the order that they were presented. There are 12 blocks presented that each contain 2-5 items within a block, with a total of 42 arithmetic-word strings. Blocks are randomly ordered but do not vary between participants. Variables of interest are total number of words correctly recalled for each of the four block sizes (2, 3, 4, 5) and total recalled, with a higher number of recalled words indicative of better performance. Responses to the arithmetic portion of each set are not recorded and are not used for data analysis.

Primary Reference:

Gershon, R.C., et al. (2013). NIH toolbox for assessment of neurological and behavioral
function. Neurology, 80(11 Suppl 3): S2-6. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182872e5f

Tulsky, D.S., et al. (2013). NIH Toolbox Cognitive Function Battery (NIHTB-CFB): Measuring
working memory. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 78(4):70–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12035

Description (task duration: 10 minutes): Participants are presented with pictures of commonly known foods and animals that are displayed along with written text and an accompanying audio recording of the name of the item (e.g., “elephant”). Each picture is displayed on the screen, one at a time, in a “flashing” manner at a rate of 2 seconds per item. The objective is to re-order the block of pictures according to particular rules. In the one-list condition, participants sort each block of items by size and in the two-list condition, items are sorted by both size as well as by category. The variable of interest is a sum of the total correct responses across both lists, with higher scores suggesting greater global working memory capacity.
One-List Condition: Participants are presented with a sequence of 2-7 pictures (either food or animals) and must order the series from smallest to largest. Participants answer verbally and must name all the items in the correct order without intrusions. The task begins with a 2-item block. If answered correctly, the number of items in each block will increase up to seven total items. If answered incorrectly, participants will get a second block of similar difficulty. If they then answer correctly for the second block, they advance to the next block of higher difficulty, otherwise, the testing is terminated. This condition contains two practice blocks in which immediate feedback is provided and a maximum of 14 testing blocks.
Two-List Condition: Participants are presented with a series of both food and animals and must order the series by both size and category. Participants will sort the food items from smallest to largest, followed by the animal items from smallest to largest. This condition contains two practice blocks, in which feedback is provided, and a maximum of 12 testing blocks. The test procedure is identical to the one-list condition, only with the added complexity of sorting by both size and category.

Primary References:

Gershon, R.C., et al. (2013). NIH toolbox for assessment of neurological and behavioral
function. Neurology, 80(11 Suppl 3): S2-6. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182872e5f

Tulsky, D.S., et al. (2013). NIH Toolbox Cognitive Function Battery (NIHTB-CFB): Measuring
working memory. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 78(4):70–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12035

Description (task duration: 12 minutes): This task measures maintenance of visual memory in a four-choice delayed recognition memory paradigm. Participants are presented with a complex, abstract target pattern that consists of four quadrants differing in color and form and they must match the target to one of four choice patterns. One of the choice patterns is identical to the target, one is a novel distractor pattern, one has the shape of the sample and the colors of the distractor, and the fourth has the colors of the sample and the shape of the distractor. All four choice patterns have at least one quadrant in common with the sample. There a four different choice conditions: (1) choices added to the screen with the target, (2) choices shown 0 seconds after the target disappears, (3) choices are shown 4 seconds after the target pattern disappears, and (4) choices are shown 12 seconds after the target pattern disappears. Participants are asked to select the choice pattern that matches the presented sample pattern by touching their response with a touch-screen stylus. Feedback is provided on-screen for incorrect responses and participants continue their search until they find the matching pattern. The variables of interest include the total number of items matched correctly across each delay period (simultaneous, 0 second delay, 4 second delay, and 12 second delay) and the total number of correctly matched items across all delayed periods. Higher scores suggest a more efficient visual memory ability.

Primary References:

Robbins T.W., et al. (1994). Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery

(CANTAB): A factor-analytic study of a large sample of normal elderly volunteers. Dementia, 5(5):266-281. https://doi.org/10.1159/000106735.

CANTAB Eclipse (2007).
https://www.cambridgecognition.com/cantab/cognitive-tests/executive-function/spatial-executive-function-swm

Description (task duration: 5 minutes): This task measures visual-spatial recognition memory in a two-choice forced discrimination paradigm. The task has two phases: spatial encoding followed by recognition. In the encoding phase, participants are shown a white square that moves sequentially to five different locations on the screen, each for three seconds. After a five second delay, subjects are presented with two white squares for the recognition phase. One of them occupies a location where a square was presented during encoding and the other square is in a novel location (distractor stimulus). Participants are asked to select the square that is in location previously seen in the encoding phase. There are four blocks of five trials, for a total of 20 responses. The variable of interest is total number of locations correctly identified with higher scores indicating better working memory performance.

Primary References:

Robbins T.W., et al. (1994). Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery
(CANTAB): A factor-analytic study of a large sample of normal elderly volunteers. Dementia, 5(5):266-281. https://doi.org/10.1159/000106735.
CANTAB Eclipse (2007).
https://www.cambridgecognition.com/cantab/cognitive-tests/executive-function/spatial-executive-function-swm

Working Memory Data Set: Key to Names and Data Structure in Data Set