title: A preliminary investigation of the running digit span as a test of working memory.
abstract: The objective of this study was to compare performance on different versions of the running span task, and to examine the relationship between task performance and tests of episodic memory and executive function. We found that the average capacity of the running span was approximately 4 digits, and at long sequence lengths, performance was no longer affected by varying the running span window. Both episodic and executive function measures correlated with short and long running spans, suggesting that a simple dissociation between immediate memory and executive processes in short and long running digit span tasks may not be warranted.
authors.affiliation: Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience & Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK. m.jahanshahi@ion.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jahanshahi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saleem
authors.forename: Aileen K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dirnberger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008606:Mental Processes; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012691:Serial Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult