Assessing working memory depends on how you measure it

What is it about?

Working memory, or the ability to hold and manipulate information in mind, plays a critical role in learning and is often assessed during evaluations for children and adolescents. There are two common approaches to measuring working memory. Objective assessment refers to performance on a cognitive test, while subjective assessment refers to ratings on a questionnaire. Despite aiming to measure the same construct, results of these two approaches usually do not align, suggesting they capture different information.

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study reviewed evidence from 36 studies to show that objective and subjective measures of working memory are only weakly correlated. Differences between these measures should not be considered unusual or unexpected. However, including both types of measures may help psychologists understand how an individual's working memory depends on the environment or specific tasks.