Sub-test of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS; Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer,2001), designed to measure spatial planning and problem-solving abilities. It consistsof a board with three vertical pegs of equal length, and five colored disksvarying in size from small to large. The participant is required to move thestack of disks from a pre-determined starting position to a specified endingposition, in the minimum number of moves. This task consists of nine items,ranging from 1 to 26 as minimum number of moves. Two rules must be adhered towhen completing the task: one can only move one disk at a time and a largerdisk may not be placed on top of a smaller disk. The Tower test is one of nine stand-alone tests that constitute D-KEFS, the others assessing verbal fluency, design fluency, ability to inhibit an automatic verbal response (Color interference test), ability to sort and explain sorting concepts (Sorting test), ability to categorize (Twenty questions test), deductive reasoning (Word context test), and ability to perform novel, verbal abstractions (Proverb test). All told, the test battery is designed to assess executive functions, both verbal and non-verbal, and takes about 90 minutes to administer. Its clinical applications have included ADHD, autism.fetal alcohol syndrome, specific learning disorders, and spina bifida. There is an abbreviated version available consisting of the Trail making test and the Verbal fluency test.
See ADHD, Autism, Executive function (EF), Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), Problem solving, Trail making test, Spina bifida
Delis, D.C., Kaplan, E., Kramer, J.H. (2001). Delis-Kaplan executive function system: D-KEFS. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.