BoCA| Domains

BOCA Domains

BOCA evaluates eight cognitive domains: 1) Memory/Immediate Recall, 2) Language Comprehension/Prefrontal Synthesis, 3) Visuospatial Reasoning / Mental rotation, 4) Executive function / Clock Test, 5) Attention, 6) Mental math, 7) Orientation, and 8) Memory/Delayed Recall. BOCA uses randomly-selected not-repeating tasks to minimize practice effects. The maximum total score is 30. Higher score indicates better cognitive performance.

1. Memory / Immediate Recall (Max. Score = 2)

The names of 5 animals are announced verbally. After a short pause, 10 buttons are displayed indicating the names of the 5 announced animals and 11 other random animals. The participant is expected to select the 5 announced animals. This subtest includes three attempts scored as follows: all five animals selected correctly on the 1st attempt: 2 points; all five animals selected correctly on the 2nd attempt: 1 point; otherwise zero points.

2. Language / Prefrontal Synthesis (Max. Score = 5)

Questions are announced verbally and the participant is expected to select the answer by pressing a picture on the screen.

Training: Integration of one modifier. E.g., ‘select the blue square,’ ‘select the green triangle.’
Level 1: Integration of one modifier. E.g., ‘select the blue square,’ ‘select the green triangle.’
Level 2: Integration of two modifiers. E.g., ‘select the large blue square,’ ‘select the small green triangle.’
Level 3: Spatial prepositions on top of and under. E.g., ‘select the square on top of the circle,’ ‘select the circle under the triangle.’
Level 4: Two object integration. E.g., ‘If the tiger was eaten by the lion, who is still alive?’; ‘If the boy was overtaken by the girl, who won?’
Level 5: Three objects integration. E.g., ‘The girl is taller than the boy. The monkey is taller than the girl. Who is the shortest?’

3. Visuospatial Reasoning / Mental rotation (Max. Score = 3)

The participant is expected to select the object, that, when rotated, is identical to the object on top.

Training: easy
Level 1: easy
Level 2: moderate
Level 3: challenging

4. Executive function / Clock test (Max. Score = 4)

The participant is expected to calculate the time difference between the two clocks.

Training: easy
Level 1: easy
Level 2: moderate
Level 3: challenging

5. Attention (Max. Score = 4)

The participant is instructed to click the announced digits in forward and backward order.

Training: Click the 4 digits in the order that you hear them
Level 1: Click the 4 digits in the order that you hear them
Level 2: Click the 5 digits in the order that you hear them
Level 3: Click the 3 digits in the backward order
Level 4: Click the 4 digits in the backward order

6. Mental math (Max. Score = 4)

The participant performs mental math by adding or subtracting two numbers.

Training: Single-digit number addition. E.g., 7+6=?
Level 1: Single-digit number addition. E.g., 7+6=?
Level 2: One-digit number plus two-digit number. E.g., 7+16=?
Level 3: Two-digit number plus two-digit number. E.g., 17+16=?
Level 4: Two-digit number minus two-digit number. E.g., 37-16=?

7. Orientation (Max. Score = 3)

The participant is expected to select today’s month, year, and day of the week.

Level 1: What month is it today?
Level 2: What year is it today?
Level 3: What day of the week is it today?

8. Memory / Delayed Recall (Max. Score = 5)

The participant is expected to select the five animals named at the beginning of the test. The score equals to the number of correctly named animals.