Working memory span tasks: Group administration and omitting accuracy criterion do not change metric characteristics

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Working memory span tasks are crucial for assessing cognitive abilities.
• Previous research often requires strict accuracy criteria for task completion.
• Group administration is a practical consideration for large-scale studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of automated operational, reading, and symmetry span tasks administered in groups.
• To compare the effectiveness of six different scoring procedures.
• To determine the impact of the 85% accuracy criterion on task validity and reliability.

Main Methods:

• Three automated working memory span tasks were administered to groups.
• Six scoring procedures (partial, absolute, weighted, non-weighted) were analyzed.
• Psychometric characteristics were assessed with and without an 85% accuracy threshold.

Main Results:

• Group administration did not negatively affect the psychometric properties of the tasks.
• All tasks demonstrated adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α ≥ .70), except for absolute symmetry span scores.
• Convergent and criterion validity were satisfactory, correlating well with fluid intelligence measures.
• Removing the 85% accuracy criterion did not impair the tasks' psychometric performance.

Conclusions:

• Automated working memory span tasks maintain psychometric integrity when administered in groups.
• The 85% accuracy criterion is not essential and can be omitted to streamline analysis.
• These findings support the use of group-administered span tasks and simplified scoring procedures in cognitive research.