The purpose of this project was to document the challenges in adapting a measure of complex working memory span for delivery over the web. Automated operation span (AOSPAN; Unsworth, Heitz, Schrock, & Engle, 2005) is one of the most widely used tests for measuring working memory capacity. However, AOSPAN is a computer-based test that runs locally and thus is only suitable for lab-based studies. We have recently created a web-based version of AOSPAN that runs on a much wider variety of platforms (e.g., mobile phones and tablets). Conclusions and recommendations are applicable to researchers who are thinking of conducting studies online and developing web-based measures of which are traditionally used in the laboratory.
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