There are literally thousands of neuropsychological tests competing with one another for adoption, like Darwin’s finches for seeds (and with equal levels of specialization). Here are but a few of the heavy hitters:
WISCONSIN CARD-SORTING TASK: If the Iowa Gambling Task measures intuition, then the test developed in its beer-and cheese-loving northeastern neighbor is its opposite, measuring cognition (specifically attention, working memory, and visual processing). In it, participants learn through trial and error the rules of how to match symbol cards.
TOVA: The Test of Variables of Attention measures the ability to sustain attention and is used most often in diagnosing ADHD. Basically, it’s a god-awfully boring test that requires constant vigilance for 22.6 minutes. In it, a participant watches a screen and clicks a button when a tiny square shows up (infrequently). An auditory version does the same with a tone. It’s boring to even think about.
FOUR CHOICE RESPONSE TIME: Would you have survived a high-noon shoot-out on the dusty streets of Tombstone? The Four Choice Response Time test is a good predictor. Quick! In which quadrant did the plus sign appear? Hit the button! Draw! And do you want to know why there are old gunslingers and bold gunslingers but no old, bold gunslingers? It’s because reaction time peaks in young adulthood and slows down as you age.
LEXICAL DECISION TASK: Word or pseudoword? Ready, set, go: Trud! Barn! Dragmar! Nurse! Doctor! Flimp! Change! Your reaction times in hitting a word/nonword buzzer determine your semantic memory, or how quickly you recall things from your language quiver. One cool piece of the Lexical Decision Task is the role of priming: You were quicker to recognize “Doctor” because it was preceded by “nurse” (had it been preceded by “horse” you would have been slower).
THE STROOP TASK: You will more quickly and accurately read a green-colored word “green” than you will read a red-colored word “green.” The TV show Nova used the Stroop Task to show climbers getting loopier and loopier as they ascended Everest. That wacky hypoxia!
To try these tests and more, visit pebl.sourceforge.net.