How long does the Paired Associate Learning Task take?
About 6 to 8 minutes, as listed in the test library.
Episodic Memory
Paired Associate Learning Task
Assess visuospatial episodic memory and object-location binding in a hosted browser workflow.
Useful for hippocampal-memory research, aging studies, and episodic-memory batteries.
Free to start: 10 free participants per account, then $0.99 per participant for academic research, or any yearly plan. Preview any test free after you sign up.
Episodic memory6-8 minUntimed
Remember which shape is in which box
What this task measures
Measures visuospatial episodic memory by asking participants to learn and recall the locations of patterns hidden in boxes on a grid.
Core constructs
- Visuospatial episodic memory
- Object-location binding
- Pattern recognition
- Associative learning
- Hippocampal function
Research fit
- Early Alzheimer's disease detection
- Mild cognitive impairment screening
- Medial temporal lobe function assessment
- Amnestic syndrome evaluation
- Pharmacological trial endpoints (cholinesterase inhibitors)
Paradigm overview
The Paired Associate Learning task measures visuospatial episodic memory through object-location binding. Participants view a 3x3 grid of boxes that open one at a time to reveal colored patterns. After all boxes have been shown, a pattern appears in the center of the screen, and the participant must click the box where that pattern was located.
The task uses a progressive difficulty design across four stages: 2 patterns, 4 patterns, 6 patterns, and 8 patterns. At each stage, participants have up to 3 attempts to correctly locate all patterns. The task terminates early if all patterns are placed correctly on any attempt, otherwise continues until max attempts are exhausted.
PAL specifically measures the ability to form and retrieve object-location associations, a function critically dependent on the hippocampus and medial temporal lobe. It is one of the earliest tasks to show impairment in prodromal Alzheimer's disease and is part of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).
Key scoring outputs
Total Errors
countPatterns not placed correctly across all stages and attempts: a click on the wrong box, or no click within 30 seconds. Primary measure of learning efficiency.
Lower is better
Total Trials
countTotal number of pattern placement attempts across all stages.
Lower is better
First Trial Memory Score
countNumber of stages where all patterns were correctly placed on the first attempt. Measures immediate memory strength.
Higher is better
Stages Completed
countNumber of stages passed in order, each by an attempt that placed every pattern correctly within the maximum attempts.
Higher is better
Time-outs
countPatterns with no box chosen within 30 seconds. Each also counts as an error.
Lower is better
Mean Response Latency
msAverage time to select a box location after pattern presentation.
Informational
Running this test
Settings you can change
This test runs with fixed settings.
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Devices and languages
- Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. Participant devices
- Task text: English and Italian.
- Available on: Every plan, including the free plan.
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite this test
Paradigm source: Owen et al. (1995); de Zubicaray et al. (2001).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.1.0, scoring version 1.1.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
Source papers
Abbott RA, Skirrow C, Jokisch M, et al. (2019). Normative data from linear and nonlinear quantile regression in CANTAB: Cognition in mid-to-late life in an epidemiological sample. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, 11:36-44.
Paradigm source
Research FAQ
Common questions about this online cognitive test
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?
Total Errors, Total Trials, First Trial Memory Score, Stages Completed, Time-outs and Mean Response Latency. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
Which languages can participants use?
The test's own text is in English and Italian. Italian participant pages come with yearly plans.
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.
Every test: the full test list.
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