[The validity of "number repetition" in the aged]

The subtest Digit Span (Wechsler, 1945) is revealed as a frequently applied, standardized test procedure in the assessment of memory in the aged. A lot of studies show high degrees of age-dependence of the Digit Span task. Visually presented digits lead to a more distinct age-decline in reproduction. Practise effects can be observed even in old subjects with pathological symptoms. The hypothesis that the Digit Span score represents a basic intellectual function, which constitutes a prior condition for different other intellectual areas, is rejected. Memory span measured by the Digit Span task represents an independent component of cognitive functioning in old age. The Digit backwards task includes encoding procedures, which are not necessary for the Digit forwards task. A major problem in memory span research is that there are only a few longitudinal studies, which are concerned with this topic and enable conclusions for the underlying processes of a declining capacity of the short-term memory.