International Journal of Comparative Psychology

We describe experimental techniques based on serial ordering tasks using touch screens, designed to assess memory and high level cognitive organization in human and nonhuman subjects. We demonstrate the applicability of these techniques to a wide range of cognitive competence and executive functioning, illustrating some promising new applications in areas of cognitive dysfunction in humans, specifically Fragile X syndrome and Autistic Spectrum Disorder in children, and Alzheimer’s disease and bipolar disorder in adults. We conclude that these techniques have implications both for work in areas of cognitive remediation, as well as in the promotion of animal models of human cognitive function and executive control.