{"id":265,"date":"2026-11-10T08:46:22","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T03:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/?p=265"},"modified":"2026-11-10T08:50:27","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T03:20:27","slug":"working-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/working-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"Working Memory Span: What the Corsi Block Test Measures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Working memory is the small mental workspace that holds a few things for a few seconds while you use them, like a phone number between the screen and the keypad. The Corsi block test measures one slice of it: how long a sequence of tapped blocks you can repeat. 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study of 340 adults, a table of five span tests with the figure each study reported, the Lim and Dinges sleep loss effect sizes, and what 58 Reddit comments say about testing their own span.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"msq\" id=\"ms-quiz\" data-slug=\"working-memory\" data-category=\"memory and thinking\" data-list=\"1\">\n<style>.msq,.msq-hook,.msq-box,.msq-end,.msq-tool{--msq-accent:#1F5F5B;--msq-accent-text:#FFFFFF;--msq-line:#E8DFD0;--msq-warn:#C25A2B;--msq-muted:#5E5E56;--msq-tint:#F3F7F5;--msq-base:#FFFFFF}\n.msq{margin:1.25em 0 1.75em}\n.msq-hook{border-left:3px solid var(--msq-accent);padding:6px 14px;color:var(--msq-muted);font-size:.97em}\n.msq-box{background:var(--msq-tint);border:1px solid var(--msq-line);border-radius:12px;padding:0}\n.msq-box>summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;padding:14px 18px;font-weight:700;color:var(--msq-accent)}\n.msq-box>summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}\n.msq-box>summary::before{content:\"+\";display:inline-block;width:1.1em;font-weight:800}\n.msq-box[open]>summary::before{content:\"\\00d7\"}\n.msq-body{padding:2px 18px 18px}\n.msq-intro{margin:0 0 12px;font-size:.95em;color:var(--msq-muted)}\n.msq-list{margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none}\n.msq-q{margin:0 0 18px;padding:0}\n.msq-question{font-weight:700;margin:0 0 8px}\n.msq-options{display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:8px}\n.msq-opt{text-align:left;background:var(--msq-base);border:1px solid var(--msq-line);border-radius:8px;padding:10px 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solid var(--msq-muted);border-radius:8px;font:inherit;background:#fff}\n.msq-btn{background:var(--msq-accent);color:var(--msq-accent-text);border:0;border-radius:8px;padding:11px 18px;font:inherit;font-weight:700;cursor:pointer}\n.msq-btn:hover{filter:brightness(.92)}\n.msq-btn[disabled]{opacity:.7;cursor:default}\n.msq-no{font-size:.9em;color:var(--msq-muted);margin-left:4px}\n.msq-privacy{margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.82em;color:var(--msq-muted);flex-basis:100%}\n.msq-hp{position:absolute;left:-5000px;width:1px;height:1px;overflow:hidden}\n.msq-msg{margin:8px 0 0;font-size:.92em}\n.msq-end{margin:1.5em 0;padding:18px;border:1px solid var(--msq-accent);border-radius:12px;text-align:center;background:var(--msq-tint)}\n.msq-end p{margin:0 0 12px}\n.msq-end .msq-body{text-align:left;padding:16px 0 0}\n.msq-end .msq-start-test[hidden]{display:none}\n.msq-tool{margin:1.5em 0;padding:18px 20px;background:var(--msq-tint);border:1px solid var(--msq-line);border-radius:12px}\n.msq-tool h3{margin:0 0 6px;font-size:1.15em}\n.msq-tool p{margin:0 0 10px}\n.msq-tool .msq-note{font-size:.85em;color:var(--msq-muted);margin:10px 0 0}\n.msq-check label{display:flex;gap:10px;align-items:flex-start;padding:9px 0;border-bottom:1px solid var(--msq-line);cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4}\n.msq-check label:last-of-type{border-bottom:0}\n.msq-check input{margin-top:5px;flex:0 0 auto;width:18px;height:18px;accent-color:var(--msq-accent)}\n.msq-check-count{font-weight:700;margin:10px 0 0}\n.msq-verdict-box{margin:12px 0 0;padding:10px 14px;border-radius:8px;background:var(--msq-base);border-left:3px solid var(--msq-warn)}\n.msq-verdict-box[hidden]{display:none}\n.msq-calc{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;gap:10px 16px}\n.msq-calc label{display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:4px;font-size:.92em}\n.msq-calc input,.msq-calc select{padding:8px 10px;border:1px solid var(--msq-muted);border-radius:8px;font:inherit;background:#fff}\n.msq-calc-out{grid-column:1 \/ -1;margin-top:6px;padding:12px 14px;background:var(--msq-base);border-radius:8px;border:1px solid var(--msq-line)}\n.msq-calc-out strong{font-size:1.15em}\n.msq-choose label{display:block;padding:9px 12px;margin:0 0 8px;background:var(--msq-base);border:1px solid var(--msq-line);border-radius:8px;cursor:pointer}\n.msq-choose input{margin-right:8px;accent-color:var(--msq-accent)}\n.msq-choice-result{margin-top:10px;padding:12px 14px;background:var(--msq-base);border-left:3px solid var(--msq-accent);border-radius:0 8px 8px 0}\n.msq-choice-result[hidden]{display:none}\n@media (max-width:600px){.msq-calc{grid-template-columns:1fr}}\nh2.wp-block-heading[id]{scroll-margin-top:24px}<\/style>\n<noscript><style>.msq-explain{display:block !important}<\/style><\/noscript>\n<details class=\"msq-box\">\n<summary>Think you already know this? Five questions, one minute.<\/summary>\n<div class=\"msq-body\">\n<p class=\"msq-intro\">Every answer is on this page. Answer from what you know now; the page fills in the rest.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"msq-list\">\n<li class=\"msq-q\" data-q=\"1\" data-answer=\"a\" data-title=\"What is working memory?\" data-section=\"#what-is-working-memory\">\n<p class=\"msq-question\">1. Once people cannot group items into chunks, about how many items did Cowan&#8217;s 2001 review put the central limit at?<\/p>\n<div class=\"msq-options\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Question 1 options\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"a\">About four<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"b\">About seven<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"c\">About twelve<\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"msq-explain\" hidden><span class=\"msq-verdict\"><\/span>Cowan argued that the famous seven was a rough estimate and that a central capacity limit averages about four chunks. <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11515286\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cowan, 2001<\/a> <a class=\"msq-section\" href=\"#what-is-working-memory\">Read the section<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"msq-q\" data-q=\"2\" data-answer=\"c\" data-title=\"What is the Corsi block test, and how is it run?\" data-section=\"#what-is-the-corsi-block-test-and-how-is-it-run\">\n<p class=\"msq-question\">2. In the 2024 Italian norms study, how fast did the examiner tap the blocks?<\/p>\n<div class=\"msq-options\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Question 2 options\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"a\">Two blocks every second<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"b\">One block every second<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"c\">One block every two seconds<\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"msq-explain\" hidden><span class=\"msq-verdict\"><\/span>The examiner touched one cube every two seconds, and a length was passed with two of three sequences correct. <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11554723\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facchin and colleagues, 2024<\/a> <a class=\"msq-section\" href=\"#what-is-the-corsi-block-test-and-how-is-it-run\">Read the section<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"msq-q\" data-q=\"3\" data-answer=\"b\" data-title=\"What span is typical for adults?\" data-section=\"#what-span-is-typical-for-adults\">\n<p class=\"msq-question\">3. What was the mean forward Corsi span of the 20 to 29 age group in the 2024 study&#8217;s supplement?<\/p>\n<div class=\"msq-options\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Question 3 options\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"a\">4.33<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"b\">5.61<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"c\">7.10<\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"msq-explain\" hidden><span class=\"msq-verdict\"><\/span>The supplement reports 5.61 (SD 1.09) for 62 people in their twenties; 4.33 is the 80 to 89 group. <a href=\"https:\/\/osf.io\/jcn9d\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facchin and colleagues, supplement on OSF<\/a> <a class=\"msq-section\" href=\"#what-span-is-typical-for-adults\">Read the section<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"msq-q\" data-q=\"4\" data-answer=\"b\" data-title=\"What does a short night do to working memory?\" data-section=\"#what-does-a-short-night-do-to-working-memory\">\n<p class=\"msq-question\">4. In Lim and Dinges&#8217; 2010 meta analysis, which outcome moved most after 24 to 48 hours without sleep?<\/p>\n<div class=\"msq-options\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Question 4 options\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"a\">Working memory accuracy<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"b\">Lapses in simple attention<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"c\">Reasoning accuracy<\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"msq-explain\" hidden><span class=\"msq-verdict\"><\/span>Lapses in simple attention moved by minus 0.762, more than working memory accuracy at minus 0.555. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.upenn.edu\/uep\/assets\/user-content\/documents\/LimDinges2010MetaAnalysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lim and Dinges, 2010<\/a> <a class=\"msq-section\" href=\"#what-does-a-short-night-do-to-working-memory\">Read the section<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"msq-q\" data-q=\"5\" data-answer=\"a\" data-title=\"What can a span test not tell you?\" data-section=\"#what-can-a-span-test-not-tell-you\">\n<p class=\"msq-question\">5. Where do the retest figures of 0.70 to 0.79 quoted in the 2024 paper come from?<\/p>\n<div class=\"msq-options\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Question 5 options\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"a\">A children&#8217;s scale<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"b\">The 340 adults in the study<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-opt\" data-opt=\"c\">A brain training app<\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"msq-explain\" hidden><span class=\"msq-verdict\"><\/span>The paper cites them from a children&#8217;s scale and lists the shortage of reliability studies as a limitation of the whole paradigm. <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11554723\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facchin and colleagues, 2024<\/a> <a class=\"msq-section\" href=\"#what-can-a-span-test-not-tell-you\">Read the section<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"msq-result\" hidden><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<script>(function(){\n  if (window.__msqInit) { return; }\n  window.__msqInit = true;\n  var root = document.getElementById('ms-quiz');\n  if (!root) { return; }\n  var meta = { slug: root.getAttribute('data-slug'), category: root.getAttribute('data-category'),\n               list: root.getAttribute('data-list') || '1' };\n  function qs(el, s){ return el.querySelector(s); }\n  function qsa(el, s){ return Array.prototype.slice.call(el.querySelectorAll(s)); }\n  function track(name, params){\n    try { if (typeof gtag === 'function') { var p = params || {}; p.article = meta.slug; gtag('event', name, p); } } catch (e) {}\n  }\n  function jumpList(missed){\n    if (!missed.length) { return ''; }\n    return '<ul class=\"msq-jump\">' + missed.map(function(q){\n      return '<li><a href=\"' + q.getAttribute('data-section') + '\">' + q.getAttribute('data-title') + '<\/a><\/li>';\n    }).join('') + '<\/ul>';\n  }\n  function emailForm(){\n    return '<div class=\"msq-sub\"><p><strong>Get the next one.<\/strong> We publish new articles on ' + meta.category\n      + ' most weeks and recheck this page on Sundays. 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A delegated listener finds it at click time. *\/\n  document.addEventListener('click', function(e){\n    var startBtn = (e.target && e.target.closest) ? e.target.closest('.msq-start-test') : null;\n    if (!startBtn) { return; }\n    var end = startBtn.closest('.msq-end');\n    if (!end) { return; }\n    var mount = qs(end, '.msq-mount');\n    var clone = qs(root, '.msq-body').cloneNode(true);\n    var intro = qs(clone, '.msq-intro');\n    if (intro) { intro.textContent = 'The same five questions, now that you have read the page.'; }\n    var res = qs(clone, '.msq-result'); if (res) { res.hidden = true; res.innerHTML = ''; }\n    mount.innerHTML = ''; mount.appendChild(clone);\n    setup(mount, 'test');\n    startBtn.hidden = true;\n    track('quiz_open', { mode: 'test' });\n    mount.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'start' });\n    var first = qs(mount, '.msq-opt'); if (first) { first.focus({ preventScroll: true }); }\n  });\n  \/* Shared tool behaviour: checklists remember their ticks on this device, and a chooser\n     shows the result for the option picked. Calculators carry their own small script. *\/\n  function initTools(){\n    qsa(document, '.msq-check').forEach(function(box){\n      var key = 'msq-check-' + meta.slug + '-' + (box.getAttribute('data-id') || 'x');\n      var boxes = qsa(box, 'input[type=checkbox]'), count = qs(box, '.msq-check-count');\n      var yes = qs(box, '.msq-verdict-yes'), no = qs(box, '.msq-verdict-no');\n      var saved = {};\n      try { saved = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(key) || '{}'); } catch (e) {}\n      boxes.forEach(function(cb, i){ if (saved[i]) { cb.checked = true; } });\n      function refresh(){\n        var n = boxes.filter(function(cb){ return cb.checked; }).length, state = {};\n        boxes.forEach(function(cb, i){ if (cb.checked) { state[i] = 1; } });\n        try { localStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(state)); } catch (e) {}\n        if (count) { count.textContent = n + ' of ' + boxes.length + (box.getAttribute('data-verb') || ' done'); }\n        if (yes && no) { yes.hidden = n === 0; no.hidden = n !== 0; }\n      }\n      boxes.forEach(function(cb){ cb.addEventListener('change', function(){ refresh(); track('tool_check', { tool: box.getAttribute('data-id') }); }); });\n      refresh();\n    });\n    qsa(document, '.msq-choose').forEach(function(box){\n      var results = qsa(box, '.msq-choice-result');\n      qsa(box, 'input[type=radio]').forEach(function(r){\n        r.addEventListener('change', function(){\n          results.forEach(function(el){ el.hidden = el.getAttribute('data-for') !== r.value; });\n          track('tool_choose', { tool: box.getAttribute('data-id'), choice: r.value });\n        });\n      });\n    });\n  }\n  \/\/ read progress: how far down the article the reader has scrolled, fired once per quarter\n  (function(){\n    var art = root.closest('article') || root.parentNode, fired = {};\n    function check(){\n      var top = art.getBoundingClientRect().top + window.pageYOffset, h = art.offsetHeight || 1;\n      var seen = (window.pageYOffset + window.innerHeight - top) \/ h * 100;\n      [25, 50, 75, 100].forEach(function(m){ if (seen >= m && !fired[m]) { fired[m] = true; track('read_progress', { percent: m }); } });\n    }\n    window.addEventListener('scroll', check, { passive: true }); window.addEventListener('load', check);\n  })();\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') { document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', initTools); } else { initTools(); }\n})();<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-working-memory\">What is working memory?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The psychologist Alan Baddeley, whose model of it is the one most textbooks teach, described working memory in <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/1736359\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 1992 paper in Science<\/a> as a brain system that provides temporary storage and manipulation of the information needed for complex tasks such as language comprehension, learning and reasoning. The key word is manipulation. Holding a number is short term memory; holding it while you add the tip is working memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is also smaller than the internet believes. The famous figure of seven items, plus or minus two, comes from 1956. In <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11515286\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 2001 review in Behavioral and Brain Sciences<\/a>, Nelson Cowan argued that the seven was more a rough estimate and a rhetorical device than a real limit, and that once people cannot group items into chunks, the central limit averages about four. So if eight digits fall out of your head, that is not a malfunction. That is the standard model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-the-corsi-block-test-and-how-is-it-run\">What is the Corsi block test, and how is it run?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its classic form, as <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11554723\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facchin and colleagues describe it in 2024<\/a>, the test is a board with nine identical blocks set out irregularly. The examiner touches a sequence of them and you touch the same blocks in the same order. Sequences get longer until you fail. The longest sequence you repeat correctly is your span. Repeating it in the same order, the forward condition, is read as a measure of short term storage; repeating it backwards is read as a measure of visuospatial working memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1376\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/wooden-blocks-measuring-working-memory-span.jpg\" alt=\"A hand reaching for plain teal blocks on a desk, like a working memory block task.\" class=\"wp-image-263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/wooden-blocks-measuring-working-memory-span.jpg 1376w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/wooden-blocks-measuring-working-memory-span-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/wooden-blocks-measuring-working-memory-span-1024x572.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/wooden-blocks-measuring-working-memory-span-768x429.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1376px) 100vw, 1376px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-image__caption\">The Corsi test uses nine identical blocks; the sequence, not the block, carries the memory load.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is named after Philip Corsi, who devised it for his doctoral thesis at McGill in the early 1970s; the 2024 paper says 1973, many sources say 1972. Its cousin, digit span, does the same with spoken numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th>Version<\/th><th>What you do<\/th><th>What the study reported<\/th><th>Source<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Corsi blocks, forward<\/td><td>Watch someone tap a sequence of blocks, then tap the same blocks in the same order<\/td><td>Mean span 4.97 (SD 1.03) in 340 Italian adults aged 21 to 89, one block every two seconds<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11554723\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facchin and colleagues, 2024<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Corsi blocks, forward, another standard<\/td><td>The same task with a different set of sequences and a faster pace<\/td><td>A norm of 6.2 (SD 1.3), as used by a widely sold computerised version, which taps one block a second<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.millisecond.com\/download\/library\/v6\/corsiblocktappingtask\/corsiblocktappingtask_forward\/corsiblocktappingtask_forward\/corsiblocktappingtask.manual\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inquisit manual<\/a>, citing <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11296689\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kessels and colleagues, 2000<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Corsi blocks, backward<\/td><td>Tap the sequence back in reverse order<\/td><td>No harder than forward in 246 adults aged 50 to 92<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/18483192\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kessels and colleagues, 2008<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Digit span, forward<\/td><td>Hear a string of digits and say it back<\/td><td>Mean span 6.45 (SD 1.34) in 168 Italian adults<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8789625\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pasotti and colleagues, 2021<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Digit span, backward<\/td><td>Hear a string of digits and say it back in reverse<\/td><td>Mean span 5.02 (SD 1.5) in the same 168 adults<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8789625\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pasotti and colleagues, 2021<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice the two forward Corsi rows. A norm of 6.2 and a mean of 4.97 are not a contradiction about human beings. They come from different sequences, different scoring rules and different speeds: the 2024 Italian study taps one block every two seconds and needs two of three sequences right at each length, while the computerised version in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.millisecond.com\/download\/library\/v6\/corsiblocktappingtask\/corsiblocktappingtask_forward\/corsiblocktappingtask_forward\/corsiblocktappingtask.manual\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inquisit manual<\/a> gives two tries per length and stops after two failures. A span number means little until you know which test produced it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-span-is-typical-for-adults\">What span is typical for adults?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The clearest recent figures come from the supplement to the 2024 study, posted on <a href=\"https:\/\/osf.io\/jcn9d\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Open Science Framework<\/a>. It reports the mean forward Corsi span for each decade of its 340 healthy adults, all screened for neurological and psychiatric history. These group averages describe that one Italian sample, not any reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th>Age<\/th><th>People<\/th><th>Mean span<\/th><th>Standard deviation<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>20 to 29<\/td><td>62<\/td><td>5.61<\/td><td>1.09<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>30 to 39<\/td><td>55<\/td><td>5.62<\/td><td>0.97<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>40 to 49<\/td><td>42<\/td><td>4.98<\/td><td>1.02<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>50 to 59<\/td><td>51<\/td><td>4.55<\/td><td>0.78<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>60 to 69<\/td><td>50<\/td><td>4.80<\/td><td>0.90<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>70 to 79<\/td><td>50<\/td><td>4.44<\/td><td>0.64<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>80 to 89<\/td><td>30<\/td><td>4.33<\/td><td>0.80<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The whole sample ranged from 2 to 8 blocks. With standard deviations near one block, plenty of healthy people in every decade sat a full block either side of the average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/working-memory-chart.png\" alt=\"Bar chart of mean Corsi block span by age decade, a working memory norm from a 2024 study.\" class=\"wp-image-267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/working-memory-chart.png 1600w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/working-memory-chart-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/working-memory-chart-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/working-memory-chart-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/working-memory-chart-1536x864.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-image__caption\">Group averages from one sample, with older groups less educated; they describe that population, not any one reader.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"does-working-memory-span-change-with-age\">Does working memory span change with age?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this sample, on average, yes. The correlation between age and Corsi span was minus 0.46, a moderate one, and the means fall from about 5.6 in the twenties and thirties to about 4.3 in the eighties. An earlier Italian study by <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/doi\/10.1007\/s10072-012-1130-x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Monaco and colleagues in 2013<\/a>, of 362 adults aged 20 to 90, also found that performance fell with age on every span task it tested, forward and backward, digits and blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1376\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/father-daughter-discussing-working-memory-changes.jpg\" alt=\"An older father and adult daughter at a kitchen table, talking about working memory with age.\" class=\"wp-image-264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/father-daughter-discussing-working-memory-changes.jpg 1376w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/father-daughter-discussing-working-memory-changes-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/father-daughter-discussing-working-memory-changes-1024x572.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/father-daughter-discussing-working-memory-changes-768x429.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1376px) 100vw, 1376px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-image__caption\">Span norms fall across age groups on average, and education matters about as much as age.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two cautions keep this honest. First, these are cross sectional snapshots: different people at different ages, not the same people followed for decades. Second, education did about as much work as age. Its correlation with span was 0.45, and in the 2024 sample every participant with five years of schooling or less was over 60, while nobody in the eighties group had more than 13 years. Sex made no measurable difference, with a correlation of 0.03. The bump in the sixties is a reminder that 50 people per decade is not many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-does-a-short-night-do-to-working-memory\">What does a short night do to working memory?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It costs something, and it is one of the better measured costs. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.upenn.edu\/uep\/assets\/user-content\/documents\/LimDinges2010MetaAnalysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lim and Dinges&#8217; 2010 meta analysis<\/a> of 70 articles and 147 cognitive tests, 24 to 48 hours without sleep lowered working memory accuracy with a combined effect size of minus 0.555 across 26 effect sizes, and slowed working memory responses by minus 0.515. Simple attention suffered more: lapses moved by minus 0.762.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those are averages across groups kept awake in a laboratory, not a forecast for one person after one short night. Our page on <a href=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/sleep-and-memory\/\">what sleep loss does to memory<\/a> walks through the milder cases, and the companion on <a href=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/stress-and-memory-loss\/\">stress and memory<\/a> covers the other usual suspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-can-a-span-test-not-tell-you\">What can a span test not tell you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quite a lot. A span test is not an intelligence test, despite the corners of the internet that convert digit spans into IQ points with the confidence of a horoscope. It does not measure long term memory, the kind that holds your childhood address. It does not diagnose, screen for or rule out any condition. And it is sensitive to strategy: chunking and practice can lift a score without the workspace itself changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its reliability is also less settled than its fame suggests. The 2024 paper quotes a split half reliability of 0.75 and retest figures of 0.70 to 0.79, but those come from a children&#8217;s scale, and the authors list the insufficient number of reliability studies as a limitation of the whole paradigm. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/daily-cognitive-check-in\/\">guide to a daily cognitive check-in<\/a> found the same gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Grid Span game in the free Awareness Score check-in belongs to this family: squares light up in sequence and you tap them back. It is not the Corsi test, it has no published norms, and it is not a diagnosis or a medical test. If you want to watch how your own span drifts across ordinary days, <a href=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/app\/\">the check-in<\/a> takes about five minutes and compares you only with your own earlier check-ins. Scores rise a little with practice alone and move with sleep, stress and the time of day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"msq-tool msq-check\" data-id=\"corsi-norm-conditions\" data-verb=\" read\">\n<h3>The conditions the 2024 Corsi norms were collected under<\/h3>\n<p>Each item restates how Facchin and colleagues ran the test for their norms. It is a record of the method, useful for seeing why a home or app score is not comparable with the table, and it scores nothing about you.<\/p>\n<label><input type=\"checkbox\">Nine identical cubes on a board, set out irregularly, the same board for everyone<\/label>\n<label><input type=\"checkbox\">The examiner touches the cubes with the forefinger, one cube every two seconds<\/label>\n<label><input type=\"checkbox\">Fixed, standard sequences, because performance depends on the path a sequence takes<\/label>\n<label><input type=\"checkbox\">Three sequences at each length, two of three correct to pass that length<\/label>\n<label><input type=\"checkbox\">Forward span scored on its own, separate from any backward version<\/label>\n<label><input type=\"checkbox\">Participants screened for neurological and psychiatric history and a normal MMSE score<\/label>\n<label><input type=\"checkbox\">Normal or corrected to normal vision<\/label>\n<label><input type=\"checkbox\">Age and years of education recorded, because the norms correct for both<\/label>\n<p class=\"msq-check-count\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"msq-note\">Restated from the 2024 paper in Neurological Sciences, read on 10 November 2026. A span from any other procedure, including a game, cannot be read against these norms. Ticks are saved on this device only.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-do-people-say-when-they-test-their-own-span\">What do people say when they test their own span?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We read two Reddit threads from this year, 58 comments in all. They are accounts, not evidence, and nothing below is a finding about anyone&#8217;s memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/ADHD\/comments\/1u21xtu\/cant_memorize_numbers_past_6_digits_is_this_an\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an r\/ADHD thread from June 2026<\/a>, someone who works with numbers for a living said anything past six digits simply drops out of their head, and asked whether to worry. Most of the 21 replies called this normal and repeated the seven plus or minus two figure. Several described chunking, for example reading six digits as two three digit numbers. One person said four or five digits was their limit; another said they had memorised several 16 digit numbers, which sounds like long term learning by repetition rather than span. One reply warned against general brain training apps for a specific skill, a point our page on <a href=\"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/brain-training-apps\/\">what brain training apps can and cannot do<\/a> covers from the trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/cognitiveTesting\/comments\/1s42pu2\/digit_span_score\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an r\/cognitiveTesting thread from March 2026<\/a>, 37 comments discussed an online digit span test taken at home. One commenter reported jumping from a scaled score of 9 to 17 or 18 within tens of minutes, after switching to a strategy built on the atomic numbers of chemical elements. Another called home span tests about the easiest thing on the internet to cheat. A third claimed to hold nine digits backwards after 25 hours awake, which cuts against the laboratory averages, though one person&#8217;s report is not a study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where the accounts match the research: chunking is real, and Cowan&#8217;s argument depends on it. Where they do not: the forums still treat seven as the limit, while the review puts the core nearer four, and the strategy story shows why a home score says as much about method as memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"when-is-a-change-in-memory-worth-raising-with-a-doctor\">When is a change in memory worth raising with a doctor?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/symptoms\/memory-loss-amnesia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NHS<\/a> says to see a GP if you keep having problems with your memory, and if memory problems are affecting your day to day life. It adds that treatment for some causes may work better if started early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A change in memory or thinking that worries you, or that the people close to you have noticed, is worth an appointment whatever any test or game has shown. No article, span test or app can say what it means. A short note of what you have noticed, when it started and what it affects is a useful thing to bring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-q-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is working memory the same as short term memory?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Not quite. Short term memory holds information briefly. Working memory holds it and lets you work with it, such as reordering or calculating, which is why backward span tasks are often used to measure it.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Who invented the Corsi block test?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Philip Corsi, for his doctoral thesis at McGill University in the early 1970s. Sources disagree on whether the year was 1972 or 1973.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is the backward Corsi test harder than the forward one?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Not in a 2008 study of 246 adults aged 50 to 92, which found backward Corsi no harder than forward, unlike digit span, where backward is harder.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why do different Corsi norms give different averages?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Because versions differ in the sequences used, the tapping speed and the rule for stopping, so a span from one version cannot be compared directly with a norm from another.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Does education affect Corsi span?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>In the 2024 Italian norms study, education correlated with span at 0.45, about as strongly as age did, which is why its norms correct for both.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Does a span score show whether something is wrong?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>No. A span score is not a diagnosis. Anyone worried about a change in memory or thinking should talk to a doctor, whatever a test has shown.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"msq-end\" id=\"ms-quiz-end\">\n<p><strong>Finished the page?<\/strong> The same five questions from the top, to see what stuck.<\/p>\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"msq-btn msq-start-test\">Test Your Understanding of This Article<\/button>\n<div class=\"msq-mount\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>General information from published research and public health bodies, checked on 10 November 2026. It is not medical advice, and the Awareness Score app is not a medical test. If your memory or thinking has changed noticeably, or worries you or the people close to you, talk to your doctor.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What working memory is, how the Corsi block test and digit span are run, the mean span by decade from a 2024 norms study, what sleep loss does, and what a span test cannot tell you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","rank_math_title":"Working Memory Span: What the Corsi Block Test Measures","rank_math_description":"Working memory holds a few things for seconds while you use them. Here is how the Corsi block test measures it and what span adults typically reach.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"working memory","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_breadcrumb_title":"","rank_math_facebook_title":"","rank_math_facebook_description":"","rank_math_facebook_image":"","rank_math_twitter_title":"","rank_math_twitter_description":"","rank_math_twitter_image":"","rank_math_pillar_content":"","rank_math_robots":[],"rank_math_advanced_robots":[]},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-memory-and-thinking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271,"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions\/271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awarenessscore.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}