Cambridge Brain Science Assessment Components for Dementia
Monkey Ladder
Visuospatial
Working Memory — The ability to temporarily hold information in memory, and manipulate or update it based on changing circumstances or demands. This task involves reproducing a set of relationships between objects in space.
Example – Planning your day and the errands you need to run, then carrying out those errands in the correct order by memory.
Spatial Span
Spatial Short-Term
Memory – The cognitive system that allows for temporary storage of spatial information in memory. Spatial short-term memory deals with the relationships between objects in space, as opposed to remembering the specific order of numbers or words involved in verbal short-term memory.
Example – Following a set of dance moves, or giving directions to someone for a route you just took.
Paired Associates
Episodic Memory – The ability to remember and recall specific events, paired with the context in which they occurred, such as identifying when and where an object was encountered.
Example – When storing household items after grocery shopping, later remembering which items you put where.
Polygons
Visuospatial Processing – The ability to effectively process and interpret visual information, such as complex visual stimuli and relationships between objects.
Example – Performing actions that require precise assessment and reasoning about objects, such as drawing, constructing models, aligning decorations on a wall, or designing a web page.
Spatial Planning
Planning – A fundamental property of intelligent behavior, planning is the ability to act with forethought and sequence behaviour in an orderly fashion to reach specific goals.
Example – Packing items into your car’s trunk so that they all fit, or assembling a piece of furniture.
Digit Span
Verbal Short-Term Memory – Short-term memory is the cognitive system that allows for temporary storage of information in memory. Verbal short- term memory deals with numbers or words in a specific order, as opposed to spatial short-term memory.
Example -Remembering a telephone number as you’re entering it into your phone.
Feature Match
Attention – The ability to muster mental concentration and focus in order to monitor for a specific stimulus or difference.
Identifying similarities and differences when comparing two things, such as deciding which of many great photos of your friends to share from an evening out.