Measuring Working Memory Span

by Mathew H. Gendle, Michael R. Ransom

The present report describes a procedure for measuring working memory span using the SIMON, a commercially available electronic game. This procedure was utilized to assess workng memory span in a sample of college age adults (N=94), and normative data gathered from this sample is provided. Across four trials occurring iin succession, with 30 s rest periods between each trial, performance on the SIMON was resistant to habituation, practice effects, and proactive interference across trials. No gender differences in performance were uncovered. The SIMON game holds potential value as a rapid and portable measure of working memory span in adults, and it appears to have psychometric properties similar to that of the Knox Cube Test and the Corsi Block Tapping task.