User:Kbmayra/sandbox

Digit-span
Digit-span task is used to measure working memory's number storage capacity. Participants are presented with a series of digits (e.g., '8, 3, 4') and must immediately repeat them back. If they do this successfully, they are given a longer list (e.g., '9, 2, 4, 0'). The length of the longest list a person can remember is that person's digit span. While the participant is asked to enter the digits in the given order in the forward digit-span task.



The digit span task exercises your verbal working memory. Scientists refer to working memory as the cognitive system that allows the temporary storage and manipulation of information. According to one influential cognitive theory, this system has specialised components, one of which, the 'Phonological loop', underlies verbal working memory abilities (Baddeley & Hitch 1974). The phonological loop consists of a verbal storage system and a rehearsal system. If you do this task, you may find yourself mentally rehearsing the string of digits as they appeared on screen; this is the rehearsal system in action. It allows the visual inputs to be recoded so that they can enter your short term verbal store and it also refreshes decaying representations (that is, any item that is about to be forgotten).

Verbal working memory is involved in many everyday tasks, from remembering your friend's telephone number while you enter it into your phone, to understanding long and difficult sentences. Think about it: How could you understand a whole sentence if you could not remember the words at the beginning long enough to connect with the words at the end? Verbal working memory is also thought to be one of the elements underlying intelligence (often referred to as 'IQ,' meaning "intelligence quotient"); thus, the digit span task is a common component of many IQ tests, including the widely used Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). Performance on the digit span task is also closely linked to language learning abilities; improving your verbal memory capacities may therefore help you to master a new language or to expand your vocabulary.