What kind of task it is
This task asks you to remember the positions of cells that light up in order on a 3x3 grid and tap them back in reverse order, from last to first.
The cells light up one by one. If the task only asked for the same order, it would be simple short-term memory. By asking for reverse-order reproduction, the task requires manipulating held information in the mind and becomes a working-memory measure.
As the sequence becomes longer, the number of positions to remember increases, and the load from reversing the order also increases.
Visual Reversal is a task that requires not only remembering seen positions, but also manipulating the remembered order before outputting it. Both holding and manipulation are involved.
What it measures
Within the five domains of BrainTypeIQ, this is one task that measures Gwm (working memory). It especially measures visual-spatial working memory, or the ability to hold and manipulate spatial information seen visually.
- Visual Reversal measures visual-spatial working memory, using spatial-position holding and reverse-order manipulation
- The other Gwm task, Computation Span, measures number-based working memory with an auditory component, using a dual task of processing and holding
Even within Gwm, a task that handles seen positions and a task that holds numbers while processing them create load in different ways. Separating Visual Reversal and Computation Span makes it easier to see which form of working memory appears more clearly.
For Gwm overall, see what working memory (Gwm) is.
When the score is higher
When the Visual Reversal score is higher, it is easier to hold seen positions and their order, then output them in reverse order.
Position information can be held while tracing back from the last item seen. Even when the sequence becomes longer, position and order are less likely to break down. This task is close to processing that holds visual information while changing the output order.
When the score is lower
Even when the Visual Reversal score is lower, it cannot by itself judge working memory as a whole. Several factors overlap in the score.
- High load from holding positions - The lit locations have to be held with their order
- High load from reversing the order - The remembered sequence has to be output from the end, not as it was seen
- Higher load as the sequence becomes longer - As the number of positions increases, location or order can become less clear
Visual Reversal makes Gwm easier to see, but it does not represent all of Gwm. Load from holding numbers while processing appears more easily in Computation Span, while load from holding conditions during reasoning can also appear in Figure Weights.
BrainTypeIQ is an online IQ test with 9 tasks, including Visual Reversal, 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.