Abstract
Working memory (WM) tasks have been extensively studied with laboratory paper and pencil or computerized tasks; few studies have assessed the feasibility and psychometric properties of WM online tests for low-stakes research purposes.We analyzed two different remote online testing implementations of two verbal WM tasks, Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS) and Running Span (RS).LNS was tested in a supervised, online video conference setting in small groups (n = 115), and RS in an unsupervised, asynchronous, remote assessment (n = 289). Both had adequate reliability. However, in LNS, following criteria for minimum performance and “gaming the test” behavior, around 25% participants had to be discarded; scores for set size 2 did not follow the set size effect; and performance was significantly better for the more difficult set sizes as compared to an in-person similar assessment. Conversely, the remote online RS task showed an expected set size effect, and performance was generally equivalent to a similar in-person assessment. Our results put into question the synchronous video conference implementation of the Letter Number Sequence and favor the asynchronous Running Span task.