Episodic Memory
Memory Route Task
Also called: method of loci, memory palace, journey method, loci mnemonic
Measure the benefit of the method of loci: participants learn a route through a drawn house, picture words at its places and type each list back in order.
12-16 minUntimed
Free to start: 10 free participants per account, then $0.99 per participant for academic research, or any yearly plan. Try it here first, with no account.
- Papers, 2021 to 2025
- 146
- Evidence grade
- D
- Registered clinical studies
- 0
What it measures
Measures the benefit of the method of loci, the memory technique of placing things along a familiar route. Participants study lists of 10 words in their own way, learn a route through 10 places in a drawn house, then study new lists by picturing each word at the next place. Each list is typed back in order. The main score is the gain in words recalled in their places.
Constructs
- Method of loci
- Serial recall
- Memory strategies
- Visual imagery
Research uses
- Memory and learning research
- Research on study and memory strategies
- Aging and memory research
How the paradigm works
The method of loci is the oldest memory technique: things to remember are pictured at places along a familiar route, then recalled by walking the route again in the mind. The Memory Route Task measures how much it helps. Participants first study lists of 10 words in their own way. They then learn a route through 10 places in a house drawn on screen, walking it place by place and answering which place comes next, and study new lists by picturing each word at the next place on the route.
More about the paradigm
Each word is shown for 5 seconds (3 to 8 as a setting). After 20 seconds of typed counting backward by threes, participants type the list into 10 numbered boxes, in the order they studied it. The standard session has 2 own-way lists and 2 route lists, drawn from six fixed lists of original words in eight languages; the session seed assigns the lists and orders their words. The route is walked again, up to three times, until every next-place question is answered right. Studies can also run route lists only or own-way lists only, to compare groups.
Scores
- Route Advantage%
- Share of words typed in their own box after route study minus the share after own-way study.
- Positive values favor the route
- Route Lists in Place%
- Share of route-list words typed in their own numbered box.
- Higher is better
- Own-Way Lists in Place%
- Share of own-way list words typed in their own numbered box.
- Higher is better
- Route Lists Recalled%
- Share of route-list words typed in any box.
- Higher is better
- Own-Way Lists Recalled%
- Share of own-way list words typed in any box.
- Higher is better
- Route Advantage in Any Order%
- Route-list recall in any box minus own-way recall in any box.
- Positive values favor the route
- Words in Placecount
- Words typed in their own numbered box, over all lists.
- Higher is better
- Words Recalledcount
- List words typed in any box, each counted once per list.
- Higher is better
- Earlier-List Wordscount
- Boxes holding a word from an earlier list of the session.
- Informational
- Other Entriescount
- Filled boxes that name no word of the list or of earlier lists.
- Informational
- Repeatscount
- A list word typed again in another box of the same list.
- Informational
- Route Roundscount
- Rounds of walking the route and answering its questions, 1 to 3.
- Fewer means the route was learned sooner
- Route Question Errorscount
- Wrong answers to the next-place questions, over all rounds.
- Informational
- Route Learned0/1
- 1 when the last round of next-place questions had no wrong answer.
- Read route lists with care when 0
- Counting Answerscount
- Numbers typed while counting backward before recall.
- Quality check
- Counting Correctcount
- Typed numbers 3 below the one before.
- Quality check
- Paste Attemptscount
- Blocked pastes or drops into the recall boxes.
- Quality check
- Lists Recalledcount
- Lists with a recall row in the scored run.
- Compare with the planned count
- Planned Listscount
- Lists planned by the session's settings, 4 as standard.
- Informational
Use and evidence
146 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, up 20% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 208 of 670 test families in our census. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 49 |
| 2024 | 29 |
| 2023 | 19 |
| 2022 | 21 |
| 2021 | 28 |
| 2020 | 35 |
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2018 | 16 |
| 2017 | 16 |
| 2016 | 30 |
| 2015 | 21 |
| 2014 | 17 |
| 2013 | 20 |
| 2012 | 14 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2010 | 12 |
| 2009 | 9 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2005 | 5 |
| 2004 | 4 |
| 2003 | 2 |
| 2002 | 3 |
| 2001 | 3 |
| 2000 | 5 |
Use grade C
100 to 299 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade D
Little published measurement evidence found.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 0
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 11
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 0
Measured on ConductCognition
Pooled across the studies that feed our platform norms, by device group. A figure needs 50 or more people.
No pooled figure yet.
Note on the counts: includes training studies and studies in virtual reality.
How the grades work
Use: A is 1,000 or more papers from 2021 to 2025, B 300 to 999, C 100 to 299, D 30 to 99 and E fewer than 30. Evidence: A means at least 25 papers report its test-retest reliability and at least 25 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome; B, at least 8 test-retest papers, and either 5 registered clinical studies or 150 reliability or validity papers; C, at least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies; D, little published measurement evidence found. The counts measure use. They include every paper that names the task in its title or abstract. Grades describe the published research on this task, not ConductCognition's version of it.
Source: ConductCognition test census 0.48.0, counted 12 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Task design
The trial sequence as the test runs in ConductCognition.
- Lists
- Six fixed lists of 10 original words in all eight app languages. The standard session has 2 own-way lists, then 2 route lists (1 to 3 of each as a setting); the session seed assigns the lists and orders their words.
- Route
- A house drawn on screen with 5 rooms and 10 places, from the front door to the bedroom window. Participants walk the route place by place, then answer 9 next-place questions with feedback; a round repeats after any wrong answer, up to 3 rounds.
- Study
- Each word appears for 5,000 ms (standard; 3,000 to 8,000), including a 250 ms blank. On route lists the drawing marks the word's place: the first word goes with the first place, and so on.
- Recall
- 20 seconds of typed counting backward by threes (standard; 0 to 60), then up to 90 seconds (30 to 180) to type the list into 10 numbered boxes, with Done. Case, accents, leading articles and listed plural or spelling forms are accepted; other spelling errors are not corrected.
- Scores
- Route advantage is the share of words typed in their own box after route study minus the share after own-way study. Recall in any box, earlier-list words, other entries, repeats and route rounds are reported separately.
- Practice
- 3 words with untimed recall and the number typed in place. Practice does not enter the scores.
- Versions
- Route lists only or own-way lists only, for comparing study groups; these have no within-person route advantage.
Own-way lists come before the route is taught, so the method cannot carry into them. The words are original, and some common words appear in other library tasks.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scored rows: memory_route_recall from the most complete run, one per list, with the route questions and counting of that run. Typed recall has no chance level. Incomplete runs, no recall, a route still not learned after the last walk, paste attempts and counting left undone are flagged. A hidden tab withholds the percentile.
Why these rules
Recall is typed into ten numbered boxes, so there is no option to compare with chance and no response time to screen; the route questions only check that the route was learned before it is used. There is no correct option to compare with chance, so accuracy is not judged against chance. A hidden tab lets the study, delay or response timers run without the participant, so a percentile is withheld after one.
No percentile. Scores and quality flags only.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Lists studied | Own way, then the route (standard) | Own way, then the route (standard), Route lists only, Own-way lists only |
| Lists of each kind | 2 | 1 to 3 |
| Time per word (ms) | 5,000 | 3,000 to 8,000 |
| Counting before recall (seconds) | 20 | 0 to 60 |
| Recall time (seconds) | 90 | 30 to 180 |
Yearly plans can change settings within these limits. Free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Need a setting this test does not have?
Devices and languages
- Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. Participant devices
- Languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese.
- Available on: Every plan, including the free plan.
- No percentile. Scores and quality flags only. How norms work
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite and describe
Participants completed the Memory Route Task in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Ross & Lawrence, 1968), with the standard settings (lists studied: Own way, then the route; lists of each kind: 2; time per word (ms): 5,000; counting before recall (seconds): 20; recall time (seconds): 90). The main score was route advantage (share of words typed in their own box after route study minus the share after own-way study).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Ross, J., & Lawrence, K. A. (1968). Some observations on memory artifice. Psychonomic Science, 13(2), 107-108. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03342433A walk of loci learned first, then lists placed along it and recalled in order.
- Legge, E. L. G., Madan, C. R., Ng, E. T., & Caplan, J. B. (2012). Building a memory palace in minutes: Equivalent memory performance using virtual versus conventional environments with the Method of Loci. Acta Psychologica, 141(3), 380-390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.09.002A briefly learned environment on screen as the route, with lists of unrelated words and an uninstructed comparison.
- Twomey, C., & Kroneisen, M. (2021). The effectiveness of the loci method as a mnemonic device: Meta-analysis. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74(8), 1317-1326. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021821993457Meta-analysis of randomized trials of the method.
Source papers
- Twomey C, Kroneisen M (2021). The effectiveness of the loci method as a mnemonic device: Meta-analysis. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74(8):1317-1326.Paradigm source, Adults
Questions
How long does the Memory Route Task take?
About 12 to 16 minutes, as listed in the test library.
What device does a participant need?
Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. The browser must be Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
What scores does it produce?
Route Advantage, Route Lists in Place, Own-Way Lists in Place, Route Lists Recalled, Own-Way Lists Recalled, Route Advantage in Any Order, Words in Place, Words Recalled, Earlier-List Words, Other Entries, Repeats, Route Rounds, Route Question Errors, Route Learned, Counting Answers, Counting Correct, Paste Attempts, Lists Recalled and Planned Lists. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Memory Route Task used in research?
146 papers from 2021 to 2025 name it in their title or abstract, up 20% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 208 of 670 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade C). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.48.0, counted 12 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Memory Route Task have?
In the published research, 0 papers report its test-retest reliability and 0 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome (evidence grade D in the ConductCognition test census).
Does it report a percentile?
No. Scores and quality flags only.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Lists studied (Own way, then the route (standard), Route lists only, Own-way lists only), lists of each kind (1 to 3), time per word (ms) (3,000 to 8,000), counting before recall (seconds) (0 to 60) and recall time (seconds) (30 to 180). Settings can be changed on yearly plans; free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Which languages can participants use?
Participants can take this test in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese, with its words in the same language. English is on every plan, and the other languages come with yearly plans. Have a native speaker read the machine-translated text before launch.
Is this a clinical test?
No. ConductCognition is for research use only. It runs, scores and exports the test; clinical interpretation is outside the platform.
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