Working Memory Span

A sequence is shown one item at a time. After it ends, repeat it back in order. Each correct answer adds one more item — until your working memory reaches its limit.

Digit Span — Single digits (1–9) flash on screen one at a time. After the last digit disappears, click them back in the same order. The sequence grows by one each round. Classic measure of verbal working memory.

Letter Span — Random consonants (B–T) flash in sequence. Consonants are used to prevent mental word-forming, which would make it too easy. Tap them back in order. Measures phonological loop capacity.

Spatial Span — Cells in a 4×4 grid light up in sequence. After they stop, tap the same cells in the same order. Measures visuospatial sketchpad capacity — a separate working memory component from verbal span.

Test Complete

Best Span

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Working Memory & the Span Task

Working memory is the mental workspace where you temporarily hold and manipulate information. Alan Baddeley's influential model (1974) divides it into three components: the phonological loop (verbal/sound information — measured by digit and letter span), the visuospatial sketchpad (spatial/visual information — measured by spatial span), and the central executive (coordinates them both).

George Miller's famous 1956 paper "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two" established that most adults can hold 7 ± 2 items in short-term memory. More recent work by Nelson Cowan (2001) revises this to ~4 chunks — we just extend the apparent limit through unconscious grouping (chunking). The spatial Corsi block test typically yields a slightly lower span (~5–6) than digit span, revealing that verbal and visuospatial memory are genuinely separate systems.

Span tasks are used clinically to screen for ADHD, assess age-related cognitive decline, and measure the impact of cognitive training programs. A below-average span is strongly associated with reading difficulties in children and working-memory deficits in aging adults.