The Tower of London test is a test used in applied clinical neuropsychology for the assessment of executive functioning specifically to detect deficits in planning,[1][2] which may occur due to a variety of medical and neuropsychiatric conditions. It is related to the classic problem-solving puzzle known as the Tower of Hanoi.
| Tower of London test | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of the PEBL psychology software running the Tower of London test | |
| Purpose | assess executive function |
The test was developed by the psychologist Tim Shallice
Test edit
The test consists of two boards with pegs and several beads with different colors. The examiner (usually a clinical psychologist or a neuropsychologist) presents the examinee with problem-solving tasks: one board shows the goal arrangement of beads, and the other board is given to the examinee with the beads in a different configuration. By moving beads from one peg to another, the examinee must alter the second board to match the first - a task that requires a degree of thinking ahead.[3]
One common use of the test is for diagnosis of executive impairment. The performance of the examinee is compared to representative samples of individuals of the same age to derive hypotheses about the person's executive cognitive ability, especially as it may relate to brain damage. A certain degree of controversy surrounds the test's construct validity.[4]
Variants edit
Several variants of the test exist. Shallice's original test used three beads and pegs with different heights, although later researchers have generalized this to more beads without a peg height restriction.[5] Versions of the test are available from a number of sources, including a stand-alone test by William Culbertson and Eric Zillmer (published by Drexel University) and a child/adolescent version that is part of the original NEPSY neuropsychological battery of tests by Marit Korkman, Ursula Kirk, and Sally Kemp (although removed from the second edition). A computerised variant, known as the Stockings of Cambridge test, is available as part of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).
References edit
- ^ Shallice, T. (1982). "Specific impairments of planning". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 298 (1089): 199–209. Bibcode:1982RSPTB.298..199S. doi:10.1098/rstb.1982.0082. PMID 6125971.
- ^ Phillips, LH; et al. (2001). "Mental planning and the Tower of London task". Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Section A. 54 (2): 579–597. doi:10.1080/713755977. PMID 11394063. S2CID 22194356.
- ^ Phillips, L. H.; Wynn, V. E.; McPherson, S.; Gilhooly, K. J. (May 2001). "Mental planning and the Tower of London task". The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A. 54 (2): 579–597. doi:10.1080/713755977.
- ^ Kafer, K. L.; Hunter, M. (1997). "On Testing the Face Validity of Planning/Problem-Solving Tasks in a Normal Population". Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 3 (2): 108–119. doi:10.1017/s1355617797001082. PMID 9126852. S2CID 19292011.
- ^ Phillips, L. H.; V. Wynn; K. J. Gilhooly; S. Della Sala; R. H. Logie (1999). "The role of memory in the Tower of London task". Memory. 7 (2): 209–231. doi:10.1080/741944066. PMID 10645380.
Further reading edit
- Davis, Andrew, ed. (2011). Handbook of Pediatric Neuropsychology. New York: Springer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8261-0629-2. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- David A. Baker (June 2012). "Handbook of Pediatric Neuropsychology". Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology (Review). 27 (4): 470–471. doi:10.1093/arclin/acs037.