Verbal Selective Reminding Task - SRT

Technical Manual

Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond

Created: April 18, 2016

Last Modified: June 23, 2026 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond

Background

This script implements the a computerized version of the Verbal Selective Reminding Task (SRT); a list learning and free verbal recall test that allows the simultaneous analysis of long term and short term storage.

The Verbal Selective Reminding Task presents a list of items and asks participant to freely recall as many of the items as possible. List items that were not recalled get a reminder. The Selective Reminding Task is similar to the Restrictive Reminding Task. The Selective Reminding Task, however, repeats a word anytime it wasn't recalled during the previous trial whereas the Restrictive Reminding Task only repeats a word if it has not been recalled at least once.

References

Buschke, H. (1973). Selective reminding for analysis of memory and learning. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 12, 543-550.

Buschke, H., & Fuld, P. A (1974). Evaluating storage, retention, and retrieval in disordered memory and learning. Neurology, 24, 1019-1025.

Duration

12 repetitions

Description

Participants see a list of 12 words, presented to them one by one, and have to recall as many words as they can by typing all words into the keyboard. For those items that were not recalled during the current trial, the words are repeated and participants are again asked to recall as many of the original list words as they can. This procedure is repeated for 12 trials.

The script automatically calculates per trial: - number of items with Long Term Storage (LTS) status - number of items retrieved from LTS (Long Term Retrieval, LTR), both consistent LTR and random LTR - number of items retrieved from Short term storage (Short Term Retrieval, STR)

Procedure

(1) Ir: Selective Reminding Task, Immediate Recall

- A word list of 12 items is used and tested across 12 trials. The words are always presented in the same order.
- Participants are asked to recall as many words as they can from the original list by
typing each word into the keyboard.
- Only those items that are not actively recalled during the current trial are repeated on the subsequent trial

This procedure is used to establish
- number of items with Long Term Storage (LTS) status
- number of items retrieved from LTS (=>LTR), both consistent LTR and random LTR
- number of items retrieved from Short term storage (STR)
per trial

Algorithm implemented:
Sum Recalled Items: total number of items recalled on a given trial.

•LTS: an item has positive LTS status if it is recalled on 2 subsequent trials (the second trial being unreminded of this item).
Positive LTS status is retrospectively assigned to the item for the first of the two trials. Once an
item is assigned positive LTS status, it keeps that status for all remaining trials whether or not
it is actively retrieved.
Script counts the number of items that have positive LTS status for each trial.
number of items with LTS status either increases or stays the same from trial to trial; the number cannot decrease.
The number of items with LTS status, however, can surpass the number of actively recalled items.

•LTR: if an item has positive LTS status for the current trial AND is recalled, then the item is considered
to be retrieved from LTR (=positive LTR status) for the purpose of the current trial.
Script counts the number of items with positive LTR status per trial.
the number of items with LTR status in a given trial can vary from trial to trial. However, the number
cannot surpass the number of actively recalled items.

•CLTR (consistent LTR): once an item is recalled consistently (that is without fail), it gets assigned
positive CLTR status for the first trial that started the consistent recall.
Script counts the number of items with positive CLTR status per trial.
the number of items with CLTR can only increase or stay the same from trial to trial.
It cannot surpass the number of items with LTR status.
Positive CLTR status has to be reached before the last trial

•randLTR (random LTR): all items with positive LTR status in a given trial that have not reached CLTR status yet
are considered to be retrieved randomly from LTS.
the number of items with positive randLTR status in a given trial can vary from trial to trial.
It cannot surpass the number of items with LTR status.

•STR: items that are recalled without LTS status are considered to be retrieved from short term storage.
Number of items with STR = (Sum of all Recalled Items) - (number of items with positive LTR status).

(2) Mcr: Multiple Choice Recognition Task (Optional)

- presents the 12 targets and 12 distractor items in a 4x6 matrix (screen positions are randomly assigned)
- participants can click on as many items as they want (once clicked the items turn blue;
a second click unselects the items) until they click 'Submit'

(3) Dr: Delayed Recall Task (Optional)

- after a predetermined time frame, participants are asked to do a delayed recall task.
- the computer plays a sound (that should be stopped with a spacebar press) to indicate that the delay time is up.

Stimuli

see section Editable Stimuli in script 'verbalselectiveremindingtask_visual_instructions_inc.iqjs'
(provided stimuli are from Buschke, 1973 and serve as demonstration stimuli only)

Instructions

see section Editable Instructions in script 'verbalselectiveremindingtask_visual_instructions_inc.iqjs'

Summary Data

File Name: verbalselectiveremindingtask_visual_summary*.iqdat

Data Fields

Name	Description
startDate	Date the session was run
startTime	Time the session was run
subjectId	Participant ID
groupId	Group number
sessionId	Session number
elapsedTime	Session duration in ms
inquisit.version	Inquisit version number
computer.platform	Device platform: win \| mac \|ios \| android
computer.touch	0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities
computer.hasKeyboard	0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected
completed	0 = Test was not completed 1 = Test was completed
numberOfRounds	Number of immediate recall rounds to run
numberOfTargets	Number of targets presented
numberOfDistractors	Number of distractors used for Recognition test
Recall Data
totalRecall	Number of recalled items across all immediate recall rounds
recallTrial1-recallTrial12	Store the number of Recalled items for trial 1 - trial 12
ltsTrial1-ltsTrial12	Store the number of items with positive LTS (long term storage) status for trial 1 - trial 12
ltrTrial1-ltrTrial12	Store the number of items with positive LTR (long term retrieval) status for trial 1 - trial 12
cltrTrial1-cltrTrial12	Store the number of items with positive CLTR (consistent long term retrieval) status for trial 1 - trial 12 CLTR status has to be reached before the last trial
randLTRTrial1-randLTRTrial12	Store the number of items with positive randLTR (random long term retrieval) status for trial 1 - trial 12
strTrial1-strTrial12	Store the number of items with positive STR (short term retrieval) status for trial 1 - trial 12
irCountOthers	Counts all 'Recalls' of words that were not on the list (sums them up across IR trials)
drCountRecalledWords	Counts the number of words correctly Recalled during the Delayed Recall Task
drCountOthers	Counts all delayed 'Recalls' of words that were not on the list
mcrHits	Counts the number of words correctly selected during the Multiple Choice SelectionRecognition Task
mcrFAs	Counts the number of words incorrectly selected during the Multiple Choice SelectionRecognition Task
Stimulus Info
irPresentedWords1-irPresentedWords12	Store the words that have been presented for each trial (in the order presented)
irRecalledWords1-irRecalledWords12	Store all the Recalled list items for each trial (in the order Recalled)
word1RecallPositions-word12RecallPositions	Store the positions in which each word was Recalled across the 12 trials Example: word 1 was Recalled in the following positions in the first 3 trials "0(=not Recalled in trial1), 7 (=the 7th item Recalled in trial2), 4 (=the 4th item Recalled in trial3), etc"
drRecalledWords	Stores the words entered during the Delayed Recall Task (in the order recalled)
mcrWords	Stores all the words selected during the Multiple Choice SelectionRecognition Task

Raw Data

File Name: verbalselectiveremindingtask_visual_raw*.iqdat

Data Fields

Name	Description
date	Date the session was run
time	Time the session was run
subject	Participant ID
group	Group number
session	Session number
build	Inquisit version number
computer.platform	Device platform: win \| mac \|ios \| android
computer.touch	0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities
computer.hasKeyboard	0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected
blockcode	The name the current block (built-in Inquisit variable)
blocknum	The number of the current block (built-in Inquisit variable)
trialcode	The name of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable)
trialnum	The number of the currently recorded trial (built-in Inquisit variable) trialnum is a built-in Inquisit variable; it counts all trials run even those that do not store data to the data file.
phase	Ir (immediate recall), dr (delayed recall), mcr (multiple choice recognition)
roundCounter	Tracks the number of immediate recall rounds
response	The participant's response
correct	The correctness of the response (1 = correct; 0 = incorrect)
latency	The response latency (in ms)
irPresentedWords	Stores the words (reminders) that have been presented for the current (immediate) recall trial
irCountPresented	Counts the number of words presented for the current (immediate) trial
prevMissed	Number of items that were missed on the previous (immediate) trial (used for debugging)
irRecalledWords	Stores all the list items that have been successfully recalled (as selected by test administrator) in the current (immediate) recall trial
irCountRecalled	Counts the number of recalled items per Immediate Recall (IR) trial
drRecalledWords	Stores the words entered during the Delayed Recall (DR) Task
drCountRecalledWords	Counts the number of recalled items during the delayed recall trialestimatedWordCount estimates the number of words presented based on number of spaces in response (autocorrects up if last input was a letter)
estimatedWordCount	Computer estimated word count
countOthers	Counts all 'recalls' of words that were not on the list counts all 'recalls' of words that were not on the list (sums them up across IR trials and resets for DR task)
mcrWords	Stores all the words selected during the Multiple Choice SelectionRecognition Task (NOT in selection order)
mcrHits	Counts the number of words correctly selected during the Multiple Choice SelectionRecognition Task
mcrFAs	Counts the number of words incorrectly selected during the Multiple Choice SelectionRecognition Task
skip1-skip12	True = the corresponding word (itemnumber) does not need to presented again false = the corresponding word needs to be presented again during the next trial

Parameters

The procedure can be adjusted by setting the following parameters.

Name	Description	Default
Design
numberOfRounds	Number of immediate recall rounds the number of words to be presented can be edited in script 'verbalselectiveremindingtask_visual_instructions_inc.iqjs' by adjusting the the items to be presented	12
skipDelayedRecall	False: runs a delayed Recall session; true: skips the delayed Recall session	false
skipRecognitionTest	False: runs a multiple-choice Recognition Test; true: skips a multiple-choice Recognition Test	false
Sizing Parameters
stimFontSize	The size of the presented item in canvas hight percentages	5%
Timing Parameters
timeToRecall	Intervall between last response and start of delayed recall trial (in ms)	1800000
stimPresentation	The duration (in ms) the stim words stay on screen	2000
isi	The interstimulus interval (in ms)	0

Verbal Selective Reminding Task - SRT

Technical Manual

Background

References

Duration

Description

Procedure

(1) Ir: Selective Reminding Task, Immediate Recall

(2) Mcr: Multiple Choice Recognition Task (Optional)

(3) Dr: Delayed Recall Task (Optional)

Stimuli

Instructions

Summary Data

Data Fields

Recall Data

Stimulus Info

Raw Data

Data Fields

Parameters

Design

Sizing Parameters

Timing Parameters