The goal of the present study was to develop and validate parallel tes
ts of verbal and figural delayed-recognition memory with similar task
demands and difficulty levels. Such tasks would allow examination of a
ge differences and longitudinal age changes in visual recognition memo
ry for two types of stimuli, activate divergent neural systems, and al
low us to use the same procedures within the confines of functional ne
uroimaging as those we use in standard neuropsychological administrati
on. The tasks introduced here include a delay between target presentat
ion and test phase, are matched in difficulty, and yield moderate leve
ls of performance. Individual and group differences in task performanc
e were examined in 80 cognitively normal men and women in two older ag
e groups: 60 to 69 and 70 to 85. Accuracy averaged 74% in both tasks,
with lower performance in the oldest age group. Although accuracy was
equivalent between tasks, subjects had a more liberal response bias in
the figural than verbal task. Performance on the new recognition memo
ry tests was significantly related to Benton Visual Retention Test (BV
RT; Benton [1963]. New York: The Psychological Corporation) and Califo
rnia Verbal Learning Test (CVLT; Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober [1987].
New York: The Psychological Corporation) performance measures. The ab
sence of floor ol ceiling effects, wide range of individual variabilit
y, and demonstrated concurrent validity of the present tasks suggest t
heir potential utility in functional neuroimaging studies and in the e
arly detection of cognitive decline.