The Cognitive Function Scanner (CFS) originally developed by Peter Laursen, DMedSci, DPsySci, and Thomas Sams, PhD, for the Danish National Institute of Occupational Health in the early 1980s. It is a computer-aided cognitive assessment system consisting of a battery of neuropsychological tests

Neuropsychological test

Neuropsychological tests are specifically designed tasks used to measure a psychological function known to be linked to a particular brain structure or pathway. Tests are used for research into brain function and in a clinical setting for the diagnosis of deficits. They usually involve the...

, administered to subjects using computer screen, a dedicated keyboard and a graphics tablet as stimulus and response media, respectively. The nine tests in CFS examine various areas of cognitive function, including:

• Short-term and long-term verbal memory
  Verbal memory
  Verbal memory is a term used in Cognitive Psychology that refers to memory of words and other abstractions involving language.-Verbal Encoding:Verbal Encoding refers to the interpretation of verbal stimuli...
  
   (words and numbers)
• Short-term and long-term visual memory
  Visual memory
  Visual memory describes the relationship between perceptual processing and the encoding, storage and retrieval of the resulting neural representations. Visual memory occurs over a broad time range spanning from eye movements to years in order to visually navigate to a previously visited location...
  
   (faces)
• Working memory
  Working memory
  Working memory has been defined as the system which actively holds information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension, and to make it available for further information processing...
  
   (numbers)
• Visuomotor function (continuous and discrete for each hand)
• Visuospatial function
• Concentration
• Attention
  Attention
  Attention is the cognitive process of paying attention to one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience....
  
  , reaction time and vigilance (visual and auditory).

The CFS takes advantage of the precision and rigor of computer technology, whilst retaining the wide range of ability measures demanded from a neuropsychological battery. In contrast to other cognitive test batteries and in addition to its psychometric measures, the later versions of CFS includes detailed recording of every step of the full response process in all tests (collection of qualitative data to support interpretation of every psychometric outcome). Cognitive Function Scanner was one of the first psychological test methods to include an artificial neural network for scoring a test.
The CFS is suitable for subjects aged 10+. Norms standardized on age, gender and education are based on a sample of 1,026 of the general Danish population, with an age range of 25–75 years. The CFS aims to be culture and language independent through the use of non-verbal stimuli in all tests, except the Word Learning and Memory Tests.

See also

• Artificial neural network
  Artificial neural network
  An artificial neural network , usually called neural network , is a mathematical model or computational model that is inspired by the structure and/or functional aspects of biological neural networks. A neural network consists of an interconnected group of artificial neurons, and it processes...
  
  
• Cognitive test
  Cognitive test
  Cognitive tests are assessments of the cognitive capabilities of humans and animals. Tests administered to humans include various forms of IQ tests; those administered to animals include the mirror test and the T maze test...
  
  
• Computer-based assessment
• Neuropsychological test
  Neuropsychological test
  Neuropsychological tests are specifically designed tasks used to measure a psychological function known to be linked to a particular brain structure or pathway. Tests are used for research into brain function and in a clinical setting for the diagnosis of deficits. They usually involve the...
  
  
• Psychological Testing
  Psychological testing
  Psychological testing is a field characterized by the use of samples of behavior in order to assess psychological construct, such as cognitive and emotional functioning, about a given individual. The technical term for the science behind psychological testing is psychometrics...