ReadingSpanAufgaben

ReadingSpanAufgaben, or reading span tasks, are experimental paradigms used to assess working memory capacity, especially the ability to maintain information while processing new material. In the classic form introduced in the literature, participants perform a processing task while storing discrete items for later recall. A typical procedure presents a sequence of sentences; after each sentence, the participant makes a semantic or truth judgment to engage processing. At the end of the sequence, the participant is asked to recall the final word of each sentence in the order presented. Some variants use a target word from each sentence instead of the final word. Sequence length increases across trials, creating higher processing and storage demands.

Scoring usually reflects the maximum number of items recalled correctly in order or the mean recall across trials at each sequence length. Some approaches apply partial credit or standardized scores. The resulting span is interpreted as a measure of working memory capacity under processing load and is related to language processing, reading comprehension, and other higher-order cognitive tasks.

Origins and use: The Reading Span Task was developed to investigate the link between working memory and language processing. It is widely used in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics and has been adapted into various languages, including German contexts, where it is often referred to as ReadingSpanAufgabe.

Variants and critiques: Critics note that performance can be influenced by strategy, rehearsal, and language proficiency, and that tasks differ in stimuli and administration. Consequently, Reading Span tasks are often complemented by other measures of working memory, such as articulation-based or executive-control tasks, to provide a broader cognitive profile.