Short Answer

In a research study using the backward digit span task, a participant is read the sequence '4-8-2-1-5'. If the participant successfully recalls this trial, what specific sequence must they say, and how does successful recall of longer sequences relate to their operationalized score of working memory capacity?

Question: In a research study using the backward digit span task, a participant is read the sequence '4-8-2-1-5'. If the participant successfully recalls this trial, what specific sequence must they say, and how does successful recall of longer sequences relate to their operationalized score of working memory capacity?

Sample answer: The participant must say '5-1-2-8-4'. As the participant successfully recalls increasingly longer sequences, the length of the longest correctly recalled sequence serves as the operational definition of their working memory capacity score.

Key points:

  • The correct sequence the participant must repeat is '5-1-2-8-4'.
  • The operationalized score of working memory capacity is the length of the longest sequence correctly recalled in reverse order.

Rubric: The response must state the correct reversed sequence ('5-1-2-8-4') and explain that the participant's working memory capacity score is operationally defined by the length of the longest sequence they correctly recall in reverse order.

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Updated 2026-05-26

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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