What is one way to test working memory capacity?

• A. Taking a test of digit span.
• B. Performing a long-term memory recall test.
• C. Matching visual patterns.
• D. Solving a problem using prior knowledge.

Answer: (A)

Digit span tasks measure how much information working memory can hold and manipulate at once. In this task you listen to a sequence of digits and repeat them in the same order (forward span) or in reverse order (backward span). Keeping the sequence in the phonological loop and, for backward span, actively reordering it uses the central executive to control attention and processing. The longer the sequence you can recall, the greater your working memory capacity. Other options tap different memory systems: long-term memory recall relies on retrieving information from long-term memory rather than holding it in the short-term workspace; matching visual patterns assesses brief visual-spatial storage but doesn’t directly quantify how much information you can maintain and manipulate; solving problems with prior knowledge depends on stored knowledge rather than maintaining new information in working memory. So the digit span task is the standard way to assess working memory capacity.