The Visual Reversal task requires a sequence to be reproduced in reverse
The task shows cells lighting up one at a time on a 3 × 3 grid. You remember their positions and tap them in reverse order, from the last cell back to the first.
Reproducing the cells in the same order would mainly require short-term storage. Reproducing them in reverse adds the need to manipulate the stored sequence, making the task a measure of working memory. WAIS-IV Digit Span and WAIS-5 Digits Backward use the same reverse-order operation with spoken digits; the WAIS Digit Span guide explains the edition difference.
As the sequence grows longer, more positions must be remembered and the reversal becomes more demanding.
What the Visual Reversal task measures
Visual Reversal is one of the BrainTypeIQ tasks used to measure Gwm, or working memory. It particularly measures visuospatial working memory: the ability to hold and manipulate spatial information that has been seen.
- Visual Reversal retains spatial positions and reverses their order
- The other Gwm task, Computation Span, is a dual task that retains answers while calculations continue
The separate scores show which type of working-memory task is a relative strength.
Working memory (Gwm) explains the broader ability.
What a higher Visual Reversal score can show
A higher Visual Reversal score indicates that the sequence is easier to retrace from the last position while retaining both location and order.
Why a Visual Reversal score may be lower
Several demands can make the Visual Reversal task more difficult.
- Holding the locations is difficult — each illuminated position must remain available in the correct sequence
- Reversing the sequence is difficult — the stored positions must be produced from last to first rather than in their original order
- Longer sequences increase the demand — as more positions are added, their locations or order are more likely to become unclear
BrainTypeIQ uses nine online tasks, including Visual Reversal, to show overall IQ and a five-domain cognitive profile. How to read the report explains how the task and domain scores fit together.