Working Memory1–2 minBurden: MediumEMA: Medium

1-Back

A brief sequential matching task for working memory updating and sustained attention.

Working memorySustained attention
Category
Working Memory
Typical duration
1–2 min
Participant burden
Medium
EMA suitability
Medium

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Include practice trials

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Task parameters

1–2 minBurden: MediumEMA: Medium

This is a researcher preview. No participant data is recorded.

Simulated participant view

9:41

1-Back

A brief sequential matching task for working memory updating and sustained attention.

No data is recorded

Participant experience on smartphone

A stream of items appears centrally while the participant responds match or no-match.

When to use

Useful for repeated working-memory assessment with relatively simple instructions.

When not to use

Less suitable for very short intervention windows where onboarding time must be near zero.

How to use in a study

Start with 1-back rather than higher-load variants for field research and smartphone use.

Researcher-configurable parameters

  • Number of trials
  • Stimulus type
  • Target proportion
  • Practice enabled / disabled
  • Stimulus duration

Outputs collected

  • Accuracy
  • Reaction time
  • Hit rate
  • False alarms

Interpretation notes

Sensitive to attention lapses and distraction. Higher-load versions should be added only when justified.

Scientific evidence

  • Sequential working-memory tasks are commonly used in repeated mobile cognition studies.
  • Brief smartphone versions can work well when the interface is stable and the rules are simple.

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