What kind of task it is
This task asks you to solve simple calculation problems, remember the answers in order, and enter them together at the end.
The calculations are simple addition and subtraction. The task is not measuring calculation skill itself. The main load is calculating and holding the answers in order at the same time.
As the sequence becomes longer, the number of answers to remember increases. Even if the calculation itself is correct, the order may become unclear when the answers are entered at the end. This involves not only simple memory span, but also load from holding information while processing it.
What it measures
Within the five domains of BrainTypeIQ, this is one task that measures Gwm (working memory).
Working memory is the ability to hold information temporarily while processing it at the same time. Unlike short-term memory, which only holds information, it is the ability to do something else while remembering.
- Computation Span measures number-based working memory with an auditory component, using a dual task of processing and holding
- The other Gwm task, Visual Reversal, measures visual-spatial working memory, using spatial-position holding and reverse-order manipulation
In Computation Span, the material being processed, the calculation, is separate from the material being held, the answers. Because the previous answers must be kept in order while calculation continues, Gwm load is easy to see.
For Gwm overall, see what working memory (Gwm) is.
When the score is higher
When the Computation Span score is higher, held information tends to remain stable while processing continues.
The person can move through calculations one by one while keeping previous answers in order. Even when attention shifts to the next process, information already being held is less likely to break down. When several pieces of information are being handled, the intermediate state is easier to keep while moving to the next step.
This is not simply the ability to remember. It is closer to the ability to keep holding and processing at the same time.
When the score is lower
Even when the Computation Span score is lower, it cannot by itself judge memory as a whole. Several factors overlap in the score.
- High load from processing and holding at the same time - Attention has to go to the calculation while the answers are also held
- High load from holding order - Not only the answers, but also the order for input must be held
- Higher load as the sequence becomes longer - As the number to remember increases, earlier answers can become less clear
Computation Span makes Gwm easier to see, but it does not represent all of Gwm. The ability to hold and manipulate a visual order is more likely to appear in Visual Reversal, while load from holding conditions during reasoning can also appear in Figure Weights.
BrainTypeIQ is an online IQ test with 9 tasks, including Computation Span, that shows overall IQ and the five-domain cognitive profile. Reading several tasks together, rather than one task alone, makes the meaning of the result easier to see.
For reading the report, see How to read the report.