Visual-spatial Working Memory Task Research Articles

Private speech improves cognitive performance in young adults

The current study investigated the relationship between private speech usage and cognitive performance in young adults. Participants (n = 103, mean age = 20.21 years) were instructed to complete a visual-spatial working memory task while talking out loud to themselves as much as possible (Private Speech condition). We found that participants performed better on trials for which they produced a greater amount of private speech. To establish causality, we further found that participants performed better in the Private Speech condition than in a condition in which they were instructed to remain silent (Quiet condition). These beneficial effects of private speech were not moderated by task difficulty, which was manipulated by varying image labelability. However, participants who used more private speech during the task, as well as those who reported greater use of self-management private speech in everyday life, showed the greatest benefits. These findings have implications for real-world educational/instructional settings.

Verbal and Visuospatial Working Memory in Arabic-English Female Bilinguals: Is There an Advantage?

This study sheds light on the effect of bilingualism on working memory performance. It aims to investigate whether bilingual speakers have an advantage over monolingual speakers in performing visual-spatial working memory tasks. The present study attempts to be a contribution to the discussion of how working memory performance is affected by bilingualism. It tries to find out whether Arabic-English bilingual speakers have advantages over Arabic monolingual speakers in performing visual-spatial working memory tasks. Two experiments were conducted to test the working memory performance of bilinguals and monolinguals by using verbal and non-verbal tasks. The two measures were completed online; the non-verbal measure involved a picture memorization task, whereas the verbal measure involved word retrieval. Eighty female college students voluntarily participated in the study. Half were Arabic-English bilinguals, and the other half were Arabic monolinguals. Both groups were divided into two subgroups; half performed a non-verbal working memory task, and the other half participated in a verbal working memory task. The results showed no advantages for bilinguals in the picture memorization task. However, a bilingual advantage was found in the verbal working memory task in which bilingual speakers performed better in word retrieval compared to monolingual speakers. The findings indicate a positive effect of bilingualism on working memory performance, particularly in the visual-spatial component.

Impact of dysglycemia and obesity on the brain in adolescents with and without type 2 diabetes: A pilot study.

Both diabetes and obesity can affect the brain, yet their impact is not well characterized in children with type 2 (T2) diabetes and obesity. This pilot study aims to explore differences in brain function and cognition in adolescents with T2 diabetes and obesity and nondiabetic controls with obesity and lean controls. Participants were 12-17 years old (5 T2 diabetes with obesity [mean HgbA1C 10.9%], 6 nondiabetic controls with obesity and 10 lean controls). Functional MRI (FMRI) during hyperglycemic/euglycemic clamps was performed in the T2 diabetes group. When children with obesity, with and without diabetes, were grouped (mean BMI 98.8%), cognitive scores were lower than lean controls (BMI 58.4%) on verbal, full scale, and performance IQ, visual-spatial and executive function tests. Lower scores correlated with adiposity and insulin resistance but not HgbA1C. No significant brain activation differences during task based and resting state FMRI were noted between children with obesity (with or without diabetes) and lean controls, but a notable effect size for the visual-spatial working memory task and resting state was observed. In conclusion, our pilot study suggests that obesity, insulin resistance, and dysglycemia may contribute to relatively poorer cognitive function in adolescents with T2 diabetes and obesity. Further studies with larger sample size are needed to assess if cognitive decline in children with obesity, with and without T2 diabetes, can be prevented or reversed.

Posterior brain sensorimotor recruitment for inhibition of delayed responses in children.

Inhibitory control, the ability to suppress irrelevant thoughts or actions, is central to cognitive and social development. Protracted maturation of frontal brain networks has been reported as a major restraint for this ability, yet, young children, when motivated, successfully inhibit delayed responses. A better understanding of the age-dependent neural inhibitory mechanism operating during the awaiting-to-respond window in children may elucidate this conundrum. We recorded ERPs from children and parental adults to a visual-spatial working memory task with delayed responses. Cortical activation elicited during the first 1000ms of the awaiting-to-respond window showed, as predicted by prior studies, early inhibitory effects in prefrontal ERPs (P200, 160-260ms) associated with top-down attentional-biasing, and later effects in parietal/occipital ERPs (P300, 270-650ms) associated with selective inhibition of task-irrelevant stimuli/responses and recurrent memory retrieval. Children successfully inhibited delayed responses and performed with a high level of accuracy (often over 90%), although, the prefrontal P200 displayed reduced amplitude and uniformly delayed peak latency, suggesting low efficacy of top-down attentional-biasing. P300, however, with no significant age-contrasts in latency was markedly elevated in children over the occipital/inferior parietal regions, with effects stronger in younger children. These results provide developmental evidence supporting the sensorimotor recruitment model of visual-spatial working memory relying on the occipital/parietal regions of the early maturing dorsal-visual network. The evidence is in line with the concept of age-dependent variability in the recruitment of cognitive inhibitory networks, complementing the former predominant focus on frontal lobes.

Modulation of Peak Alpha Frequency Oscillations During Working Memory Is Greater in Females Than Males.

Peak alpha frequency is known to vary not just between individuals, but also within an individual over time. While variance in this metric between individuals has been tied to working memory performance, less understood are how short timescale modulations of peak alpha frequency during task performance may facilitate behavior. This gap in understanding may be bridged by consideration of a key difference between individuals: sex. Inconsistent findings in the literature regarding the relationship between peak alpha frequency and cognitive performance, as well as known sex-related-differences in peak alpha frequency and its modulation motivated our hypothesis that cognitive and neural processes underlying working memory—modulation of peak alpha frequency in particular—may differ based upon sex. Targeting sex as a predictive factor, we analyzed the EEG data of participants recorded while they performed four versions of a visual spatial working memory task. A significant difference between groups was present: females modulated peak alpha frequency more than males. Task performance did not differ by sex, yet a relationship between accuracy and peak alpha frequency was present in males, but not in females. These findings highlight the importance of considering sex as a factor in the study of oscillatory activity, particularly to further understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie working memory.

Differences in visual-spatial working memory and driving behavior between morning-type and evening-type drivers

Circadian rhythms are changes in life activities over a cycle of approximately 24 hours. Studies on chronotypes have found that there are significant differences in physiology, personality, cognitive ability and driving behavior between morning-type and evening-type people. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between visual-spatial working memory and driving behavior between morning-type and evening-type drivers in China. A total of 42 Chinese drivers were selected to participate in this study according to their score on the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, including 22 morning-type drivers and 20 evening-type drivers. During the experiment, the participants completed one cognitive task (visual-spatial working memory), two simulated driving tasks (car-following task and pedestrian-crossing task), and the Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI). The results showed that evening-type drivers self-reported more dangerous driving behaviors but had better lateral control on the simulated driving task than morning-type drivers. In addition, evening-type drivers had greater accuracy when performing the visual-spatial working memory task. Moreover, the accuracy on the visual-spatial working memory task positively predicted the percentage of time over the speed limit by 10 mph (POS10) and negatively correlated with the reaction time measure (time to meet pedestrians) in the pedestrian-crossing task. The relationships among chronotype, cognitive ability and driving behavior are also discussed. Understanding the underlying mechanisms could help explain why evening-type drivers perform dangerous driving behaviors more often.

Effects of Visual Working Memory on Individual Differences in Echolocation Performance in Sighted Participants.

Echolocation performance differs widely among individuals. This study examined a possible factor that may explain this variation, namely, visual working memory, which is a subcomponent of spatial working memory. Sighted participants performed an object-detection task consisting of initial testing on 2 separate days (up to 8 days apart) with follow-up testing on a third day (up to 1 month after the second day of testing) while manipulating the target distance from 20 to 50 cm. Participants performed two types of visual spatial working memory tasks, one of which required them to memorize color–location combinations and the other, an imaginary pathway. The participants’ performance on the object-detection task generally improved in the first 2 days, but there were substantial individual differences in detection ability. A positive correlation was observed between performance on these tasks and visual working memory capacity, except on the second day, after detection ability had improved. These findings suggest that factors contributing to echolocation skill are related to nonauditory factors in a sighted group.

鄂伦春族的视空间工作记忆能力优势：生态环境和生产方式的影响

<p id="C2">Working memory refers to a system of temporary holding and manipulation of information during the performance of a range of cognitive tasks, such as comprehension, learning, and reasoning. According to <xref xml:base="bibr" rid="b4">Baddeley (1974)</xref>, the architecture of working memory comprises four separated components, namely, phonological loop, visual-spatial working memory, central executive, and episodic buffer. The visual-spatial working memory is involved in the temporary retention of visual-spatial information. <p id="C101">The Oroqen is one of the oldest ethnic groups in northeast China. Most Oroqens live in the Oroqen Autonomous Banner in the Greater Hinggan Mountains. The area is bestowed with rich resources with a variety of wild animals. For generations, the Oroqens lived a life of hunting and fishing in the forests. They went on hunting expeditions in groups. Researchers explored the ecological environment and mode of production that affected the performance of cognition. The present study aims to explore whether the natural environment, which has formed the Oroqen’s hunting culture and hunting-gathering stage of economic production, affects their visual-spatial working memory. <p id="C102">In Experiment 1, four experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of the ecological environment and mode of production on the visuospatial working memory Oroqens. Oroqen (<italic>n</italic> = 32) and Han (<italic>n</italic> = 30) high school students performed simple storage and complex visual-spatial span tasks. Simple storage tasks were distinguished into three presentation formats: (i) visual, which involved maintaining irregular figures; (ii) spatial-sequential, which involved maintaining sequentially-presented locations; and (iii) spatial-simultaneous, which involved maintaining patterns of locations. The results proved that Oroqens performed significantly better than Hans in all the four visual-spatial working memory tasks. <p id="C103">In Experiment 2, the Corsi block test presented in a computer was employed to investigate whether the structural, quantitative, and path complexity influenced the visual-spatial working memory of Oroqen (<italic>n</italic> = 30) and Han (<italic>n</italic> = 30) students. Results showed that superiority of the Oroqen on visual-spatial working memory still persisted when the memory materials differ in terms of difficulty. <p id="C104">In summary, the ecological environment and mode of production have a significant impact on visual-spatial working memory. The Oroqen people’s ecological environment and traditional mode of production have become a genetic factor that may affect the visual-spatial working memory of their offspring.

基于手机APP的双维n-back训练的认知与情绪效益

<p id="C2">Audiovisual dual channel n-back training offers the ability to transfer to basic cognitive processes that are closely related to the working memory process. However, dual-channel training based on a computer is highly demanding for a training environment. Thus, it is not conducive to its application promotion. Moreover, emotional working memory training is developed to enhance the emotional control ability of individuals. Only negative material working memory training has been examined. Thus, the general problems of emotional working memory training have not been clarified. A new type of emotional dual dimension n-back training based on smartphone applications was designed in this study. The general applicability and emotional effects of emotion (both positive and negative) and neutral working memory training were examined through the design of a randomized controlled group. <p id="C102">This study developed an app based on n-back task, which is a visual single-channel with two dimensions. A total of 66 healthy college students (34 males and 32 females) participated in the experiment and were randomly divided into control, negative training, neutral training, and positive training groups. All participants were trained with their smartphones. Participants in the training groups must remember the Chinese characters and the position of the Chinese characters in the 3*3 matrix and make two independent n-back tasks on the characters and the position. In the neutral, positive, and negative training groups, the valences of Chinese characters were neutral, positive, and negative, respectively. The participants in the control group completed the digital parity task in an interface similar to a training task. Before and after the training session, participants were asked to complete the visual-spatial working memory task, running memory task, Stroop task, digital shifting task, emotion Stroop task, and a profile of mood states. <p id="C103">Short-term dual-dimension n-back training can make more progress on the visual space work memory task, running memory task, digital shifting task, and classic Stroop task than placebo training. These tasks test the working memory capacity, as well as the update, shift, and inhibit the function, and fully characterize the working memory of the whole picture. However, training based on different emotional materials did not vary greatly across the various types of transfer effects. Short-term training cannot transfer into the emotional Stroop task, which is unable to produce specific emotional control benefits. <p id="C104">The dual-dimensional n-back training app can produce a favorable basic cognitive transfer. This indicates that the cognitive training app has a wide application prospect, and the dual-dimensional training paradigm is worthy of improved employment. For the invisible emotional benefits of the emotional version of n-back training manifested that simply incorporate emotional material into the work memory task must be examined carefully in the future.

A 6-month follow-up of an RCT on behavioral and neurocognitive effects of neurofeedback in children with ADHD.

To assess the long-term effects of neurofeedback (NFB) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we compared behavioral and neurocognitive outcomes at a 6-month naturalistic follow-up of a randomized controlled trial on NFB, methylphenidate (MPH), and physical activity (PA). Ninety-two children with a DSM-IV-TR ADHD diagnosis, aged 7-13, receiving NFB (n=33), MPH (n=28), or PA (n=31), were re-assessed 6-months after the interventions. NFB comprised theta/beta training on the vertex (cortical zero). PA comprised moderate to vigorous intensity exercises. Outcome measures included parent and teacher behavioral reports, and neurocognitive measures (auditory oddball, stop-signal, and visual spatial working memory tasks). At follow-up, longitudinal hierarchical multilevel model analyses revealed no significant group differences for parent reports and neurocognitive measures (p=.058-.997), except for improved inhibition in MPH compared to NFB (p=.040) and faster response speed in NFB compared to PA (p=.012) during the stop-signal task. These effects, however, disappeared after controlling for medication use at follow-up. Interestingly, teacher reports showed less inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity at follow-up for NFB than PA (p=.004-.010), even after controlling for medication use (p=.013-.036). Our findings indicate that the superior results previously found for parent reports and neurocognitive outcome measures obtained with MPH compared to NFB and PA post intervention became smaller or non-significant at follow-up. Teacher reports suggested superior effects of NFB over PA; however, some children had different teachers at follow-up. Therefore, this finding should be interpreted with caution. Clinical trial registration Train your brain and exercise your heart? Advancing the treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Ref. no. NCT01363544, https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01363544 .

Journal Digest

Journal Digest

Cognitive function assessment in adolescent patients on hemodiaylsis

Background Studying the impact of chronic kidney disease on neurocognitive functions is a critical element for providing optimal care to these children who might suffer from its detrimental consequence on their psychosocial life. Aim The aim of the study was to assess the cognitive functions in adolescents with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) under regular hemodialysis compared with healthy controls. Patients and methods We studied 40 adolescents – 20 patients with ESRD on regular dialysis and 20 controls closely matched with the patient in terms of their age, sex, and educational level. Patients were recruited from the pediatric dialysis unit, Menoufia University hospitals, with dialysis durations ranging from 0.5 to 8.5 years with mean 3.25±2.28 years. They were assessed using Raven’s Progressive Matrices tests (for fluid intelligence), and a computerized battery composed of Spatial Span (visual–spatial working memory task), Tower of London task (measuring planning and problem-solving ability), and the Go/No Go task (a task assessing response inhibition, set shifting, and attention). We, furthermore, assessed disease-related variables impacting the cognitive functions of the patients. Results The average age of the patients was 14.4±3.315 years, and that of the controls was 13.7±1.46 years. The fluid IQ for the patients was significantly lower than the controls (P Conclusion Our findings provide evidence that the fluid intelligence and cognitive function of adolescents with ESRD on dialysis fall within the low average on most tasks. Furthermore, hypertension and anemia potentially place children with ESRD at an increased risk for neurocognitive deficits, which consequently places them at risk for poor long-term educational and occupational outcomes.

Verbal and visual-spatial working memory: What develops over a life span?

This study investigates whether age-related changes in the structure of 5 complex working memory (WM) tasks (a) reflect a general or domain specific system, (b) follows a similar trajectory across different age spans, and (c) contribute domain general or domain specific resources to achievement measures. The study parsed the sample (N = 2,471) into 11 age groups (mean ages of 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 26, 41, and 66 years), and compared their performances on verbal and visuospatial WM measures. Three important findings emerged: (a) a confirmatory factor analysis and Schmid-Leiman transformation to a high-order model solution supported a domain general factor model for the total sample as well as separately for children and adults, (b) performance on visual-spatial WM tasks as a function of age decreased at a faster rate than verbal WM tasks, and (c) both verbal and visual-spatial WM measures in concert with each other uniquely predicted reading and math measures, suggesting that a domain general WM system contributed to performance on achievement measures. The results support the notion that (a) complex WM tasks function as a domain general system and (b) the factor structure for children and adults on complex WM tasks was highly similar, even though there was evidence of differentiation among verbal and visual-spatial WM measures at certain age groups. (PsycINFO Database Record

An RCT into the effects of neurofeedback on neurocognitive functioning compared to stimulant medication and physical activity in children with ADHD

Neurofeedback (NFB) is a potential alternative treatment for children with ADHD that aims to optimize brain activity. Whereas most studies into NFB have investigated behavioral effects, less attention has been paid to the effects on neurocognitive functioning. The present randomized controlled trial (RCT) compared neurocognitive effects of NFB to (1) optimally titrated methylphenidate (MPH) and (2) a semi-active control intervention, physical activity (PA), to control for non-specific effects. Using a multicentre three-way parallel group RCT design, children with ADHD, aged 7–13, were randomly allocated to NFB (n = 39), MPH (n = 36) or PA (n = 37) over a period of 10–12 weeks. NFB comprised theta/beta training at CZ. The PA intervention was matched in frequency and duration to NFB. MPH was titrated using a double-blind placebo controlled procedure to determine the optimal dose. Neurocognitive functioning was assessed using parameters derived from the auditory oddball-, stop-signal- and visual spatial working memory task. Data collection took place between September 2010 and March 2014. Intention-to-treat analyses showed improved attention for MPH compared to NFB and PA, as reflected by decreased response speed during the oddball task [ηp2 = 0.21, p < 0.001], as well as improved inhibition, impulsivity and attention, as reflected by faster stop signal reaction times, lower commission and omission error rates during the stop-signal task (range ηp2 = 0.09–0.18, p values <0.008). Working memory improved over time, irrespective of received treatment (ηp2 = 0.17, p < 0.001). Overall, stimulant medication showed superior effects over NFB to improve neurocognitive functioning. Hence, the findings do not support theta/beta training applied as a stand-alone treatment in children with ADHD.

Verbal and visual-spatial working memory performance in Arabic monolingual and English/Arabic bilingual Kuwaiti children

IntroductionResearch in psycholinguistics focusing on cognitive processing in bilinguals and the role played by working memory about cognitive processing indicated that Working Memory (WM) was instrumental in cognitive processing in bilinguals, but that its role was different and generally more complex than it was in monolinguals. However, the specific manner in which the use of WM differed between monolinguals and bilinguals was not always clear.ObjectivesThis research explored the verbal and visual-spatial WM performance in an Arabic monolingual group and a bilingual English/Arabic group.MethodsThe participants were 396 Kuwaiti (198 monolingual aged 7.99 ± 1.97 years and 198 bilingual aged 8.03 ± 1.92) with no significant age differences (t = 0.23, P &gt; 0.05). The two groups were compared on how they performed in the Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA), to measure a verbal and visual-spatial WM tasks. The tasks were Listening Recall, Counting Recall, Mr. X, Backward Digit Recall, Odd-one-out and Spatial Span. All tasks were internally consistent (Alpha = 0.91, 0.93, 0.87, 0.88, 0.87, and 0.91 respectively). The data was analyzed using Independent Sample t Test.ResultsThe findings showed that there was significant group difference as the monolingual Arabic group (L1) performed better than bilingual English/Arabic group (L2) on both of verbal WM (t = 3.25, P &lt; 0.002) and visuospatial WM (t = 3.04, P &lt; 0.002).ConclusionThe monolingual children obtained higher scores on both verbal and visuospatial WM. These findings were explained in terms of the complexity of the Arabic language and cultural context in which the second language is being practiced. This warrants further investigation.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The Monkey game: A computerized verbal working memory task for self-reliant administration in primary school children.

In two studies, the psychometric properties of an online self-reliant verbal working memory task (the Monkey game) for primary school children (6–12 years of age) were examined. In Study 1, children (n = 5,203) from 31 primary schools participated. The participants completed computerized verbal and visual–spatial working memory tasks (i.e., the Monkey game and the Lion game) and a paper-and-pencil version of Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices. Reading comprehension and math achievement test scores were obtained from the schools. First, the internal consistency of the Monkey game was examined. Second, multilevel modeling was used to examine the effects of classroom membership. Multilevel multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the Monkey game’s concurrent relationship with the Lion game and its predictive relationships with reading comprehension and math achievement. Also, age-related differences in performance were examined. In Study 2, the concurrent relationships between the Monkey game and two tester-led computerized working memory tasks were further examined (n = 140). Also, the 1- and 2-year stability of the Monkey game was investigated. The Monkey game showed excellent internal consistency, good concurrent relationships with the other working memory measures, and significant age differences in performance. Performance on the Monkey game was also predictive of subsequent reading comprehension and mathematics performance, even after controlling for individual differences in intelligence. Performance on the Monkey game was influenced by classroom membership. The Monkey game is a reliable and suitable instrument for the online computerized and self-reliant assessment of verbal working memory in primary school children.

Smoking in schizophrenia: cognitive impact of nicotine and relationship to smoking motivators

Smoking prevalence in schizophrenia is significantly elevated relative to other clinical and to non-clinical groups. The cognitive self-medication hypothesis attributes this to the beneficial effects of nicotine on illness-related cognitive deficits. Significant effects of nicotine have been observed on visual spatial working memory (VSWM), sustained attention (Continuous Performance Test — Identical Pairs; CPT-IP) and prepulse inhibition (PPI). It remains unclear whether these neurophysiological and neurocognitive effects of nicotine influence self-reported smoking motivation.To explore the relationship between nicotine effects on cognition and self-reported smoking motivation in schizophrenia and non-psychiatric control smokers, the impact of smoking abstinence and reinstatement was examined across three cognitive indices (VSWM, CPT-IP, PPI) and compared to self-reported smoking motivation (Modified Reasons for Smoking Scale revised to include ‘cognitive motivators’). Cognitive function was assessed after ‘typical’ smoking and overnight abstinence. Schizophrenia smokers (but not controls) demonstrated significantly less error on the VSWM task in the smoking relative to abstinent condition. Control (but not schizophrenia) smokers, showed evidence of CPT-IP improvement in the smoking relative to abstinent condition. The overall profile of smoking motivation was comparable between groups. However, significant relationships between subjective and objective indices of smoking related cognitive change were observed for controls.Differential effects of nicotine on cognition have been hypothesised to influence the pattern and persistence of smoking in schizophrenia. These preliminary findings indicate that evidence for such effects is apparent even in small samples — particularly for VSWM. This is the first study to show that neurocognitive effects of smoking may influence self-reported smoking motivation.

Levetiracetam reduces abnormal network activations in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Objective:We used functional MRI (fMRI) and a left-lateralizing verbal and a right-lateralizing visual-spatial working memory (WM) paradigm to investigate the effects of levetiracetam (LEV) on cognitive network activations in patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).Methods:In a retrospective study, we compared task-related fMRI activations and deactivations in 53 patients with left and 54 patients with right TLE treated with (59) or without (48) LEV. In patients on LEV, activation patterns were correlated with the daily LEV dose.Results:We isolated task- and syndrome-specific effects. Patients on LEV showed normalization of functional network deactivations in the right temporal lobe in right TLE during the right-lateralizing visual-spatial task and in the left temporal lobe in left TLE during the verbal task. In a post hoc analysis, a significant dose-dependent effect was demonstrated in right TLE during the visual-spatial WM task: the lower the LEV dose, the greater the abnormal right hippocampal activation. At a less stringent threshold (p < 0.05, uncorrected for multiple comparisons), a similar dose effect was observed in left TLE during the verbal task: both hippocampi were more abnormally activated in patients with lower doses, but more prominently on the left.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that LEV is associated with restoration of normal activation patterns. Longitudinal studies are necessary to establish whether the neural patterns translate to drug response.Classification of evidence:This study provides Class III evidence that in patients with drug-resistant TLE, levetiracetam has a dose-dependent facilitation of deactivation of mesial temporal structures.

Self-reported collision involvement associated with driving after alcohol use, cannabis use or both

Self-reported collision involvement associated with driving after alcohol use, cannabis use or both

Validity and reliability of an online visual-spatial working memory task for self-reliant administration in school-aged children.

Working memory is an important predictor of academic performance, and of math performance in particular. Most working memory tasks depend on one-to-one administration by a testing assistant, which makes the use of such tasks in large-scale studies time-consuming and costly. Therefore, an online, self-reliant visual-spatial working memory task (the Lion game) was developed for primary school children (6-12 years of age). In two studies, the validity and reliability of the Lion game were investigated. The results from Study 1 (n = 442) indicated satisfactory six-week test-retest reliability, excellent internal consistency, and good concurrent and predictive validity. The results from Study 2 (n = 5,059) confirmed the results on the internal consistency and predictive validity of the Lion game. In addition, multilevel analysis revealed that classroom membership influenced Lion game scores. We concluded that the Lion game is a valid and reliable instrument for the online computerized and self-reliant measurement of visual-spatial working memory (i.e., updating).