This term refers to the ability of the subject to group the series of elements together: to perceive relationships among the series in order to better reproduce them. "Associability” is required in memory span. As a Structural AspectĪ structural definition of memory span is difficult to give, for one immediately is faced by the distinctions between the prerequisites for memory span, and the actual processes involved. Memory span tasks since the formulation of Baddeley and Hitch's theory have been helpful as support for the phonological loop as part of the working memory. Likewise, the more different the items in a list are, the easier it is to recall them. similar sound), they are more difficult to remember. The phonological similarity effect is when items in a list have similar features (e.g. The phonological loop is the mechanism that facilitates learning and memory by storing information (in the articulatory loop) and refreshing or rehearsing it in our memory (in the acoustic store). A mechanism called the episodic buffer was later added to the model. Īccording to a theory by Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch, working memory is under the influence of three key mechanisms: the visuospatial sketchpad, the central executive, and the phonological loop. For example, a person will better remember a sequence in their first-language than their second-language a person will also remember a sequence of words better than they would a sequence of nonsense syllables. Įxperiments in memory span have found that the more familiar a person is with the type of subject matter presented to them, the more they will remember it in a novel setting. To generalize, it refers to the ability of an individual to reproduce immediately, after one presentation, a series of discrete stimuli in their original order. The clinician is advised to apply tests with higher manipulation load and to consider testing visual span as well before drawing conclusions about impaired WM from the WAIS-IV.ĭigit Span Letter-Number Sequencing WAIS attention/perception cognitive/learning tests working memory.Functionally, memory span is used to measure the number of discrete units over which the individual can successively distribute his attention and still organize them into a working unit. The modality model showed the best fit when analyzing summed scores for each task as well as scores for the longest span. Performance by a mixed sample of 226 patients referred for neuropsychological examination on the Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests from the WAIS-IV and on Spatial Span from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition was analyzed in two confirmatory factor analyses to investigate whether a unitary WM model or divisions based on modality or level/complexity best fit the data. However, it is not clear whether the new extended tasks contribute sufficient complexity to be sensitive measures of manipulation WM, nor do we know to what degree WM capacity differs between the visual and the auditory modality because the WAIS-IV only tests the auditory modality. In the fourth edition of the test (WAIS-IV), the subtests Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing are expanded for better measurement of working memory (WM). The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is one of the most frequently used tests among psychologists.
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