Return to References: Working Memory factor page.
Numerous measures exist to gain a full picture of a student's learning strengths and challenges. Following are examples of measures used to assess this Learner Factor. These measures should be administered and interpreted by experienced professionals.
N-back task: (Meule, 2017): A task that measures Working Memory capacity by showing individuals a series of stimuli and asking them to identify when the stimulus presented is the same as the one presented n (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.) trials earlier.
Missing Scan Task: (Roman et al., 2014): Learners are shown a set of stuffed toy characters (starting with 2 or 3). The characters are removed, and then replaced with one character missing. Learners are asked to identify which one is missing. To identify how many items learners can track in their Working Memory, the set size increases by one every time a learner answers correctly. The task continues until the learner fails a set twice, or successfully reaches the maximum of 10 items.
Working Memory Rating Scale (WMRS): (Alloway, Gathercole, Kirkwood, & Elliott, 2009): A behavior rating scale for teachers to use based on behavior patterns typically observed in students who demonstrate reduced Working Memory.
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