A visual working memory test

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Here is a visual working memory test that I stumbled upon in a ADD forum:

http://www.neurogenol.com/neurogenol/im ... 8fc348fa15

This one is more abstract in that you have to familiarize yourself with the elements of the test. I guess it could be likened to learning something new /novel from scratch or a measure of your non verbal fluid intelligence.

Not sure on the efficacy of it, but it didn't surprise me to score in the senior citizen range. And I've had problems with working memory in other areas, such as remembering oral instructions( auditory processing) and 'losing it' easily if it was multi stepped.

All been a consuming problem.

So how did you all fare?

My Google Chrome browser is telling me "www.neurogenol.com contains malware. Your computer might catch a virus if you visit this site." and won't let me through. Can anyone verify it actually has a virus?

*considers time-effort investment in firing up the virtual machine*

*fires up virtual machine*

*installing firefox inside the virtual machine because IE isn't loading the flash file correctly*

Bugs in chrome?

Chrome is doing this where other browsers are clear from what I've gathered.

Link is in post # 8 in the ADD forum: http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthr ... ?p=1057633

Might make it feel a little safer.

yeah Chrome is definitely freaking out about this one

I fired up the virtual-box VM and ran it inside of flash-enabled firefox. Firefox 4 ALSO freaked out, but it didn't matter to me because if a virus is installed on the virtual machine, all I have to do is press the virtual machine's "reset button" and the virtual machine is isolated away from the rest of the computer, so the rest of the computer isn't threatened.

Here's my score profile:

Correct Answers: 53
Incorrect Answers: 7
Average response time: 636.5 ms
Average accuracy score: 88.33%
Performance Brain Age: 48

My actual age is 23, so this implies I'm significantly worse in visual working memory than the average 23 old. Haha... that seems to correlate well with other inferred deficiencies, I guess. But, on the other hand, I noticed that I apparently mixed up "yes"/"no" and the direction arrows for at least 3 answers and I *know* I would've got them right otherwise, so my 'actual score' is at least 56/60.

Btw, according to my research into IQ and visual working memory, it's *very unlikely* my actual visual working memory is worse than my peers, since visual working memory is highly correlated with nonverbal IQ and my nonverbal IQ is typically measured to be in the 135-145 range (Also, I'm a mental algebra champ, and I'm *definitely* within the top 3rd percentile of that ability and that's purported to be directly dependent on visual working memory.). So, I'm thinking this test might not be *that* accurate in guessing one's "Performance Brain Age". Of course, it could be, and I'm just deficient in ways that I really don't want to be.

Not working for me either and I use firefox. It says it has a virus on it and I refuse to get into it.

ya it's saying it's an attack page on FF4

I'm on Safari and getting warnings too, including about a trojan. Even though I'm on a Mac I don't want the trouble. Not going there.

Geez, I picked up an "Aspergers" book while I was inside Barnes and Noble yesterday, and they had an entire chapter on executive functioning, working memory, attention and the such (Presumably because those on the autism spectrum usually score worse than average). That was interesting to skim over - I'd imagine there'd be similar information online somewhere.

So, anyway, I've become obsessed over getting an accurate assessment of my working memory, and in the middle of the search, I came across this research: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14580078

"Spatial working memory ability is a marker of risk-for-psychosis.
Wood SJ, Pantelis C, Proffitt T, Phillips LJ, Stuart GW, Buchanan JA, Mahony K, Brewer W, Smith DJ, McGorry PD.

Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Research & Academic Unit, PACE Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Sunshine Hospital, St Albans, VIC, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Working memory has been identified as a core cognitive deficit in schizophrenia that is associated with negative symptoms, but it is unclear whether it is impaired prior to onset of psychosis in symptomatic patients.

METHOD: Thirty-eight young people at ultra high-risk (UHR) of developing psychosis (of whom nine later became psychotic) were compared with 49 healthy controls on tests of spatial working memory (SWM) and delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS).

RESULTS: Both SWM and DMTS performance was significantly poorer in the UHR groups. Those who later became psychotic generally performed more poorly than those who did not, although this did not reach significance for any measure. A significant association between SWM errors and negative symptoms was seen in the later-psychotic group only (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: Spatial working memory abilities are impaired in those at high-risk for psychosis. The relationship between working memory and negative symptoms may be useful as a predictive tool."

That's interesting! Now, it's suddenly become mandatory that I find an accurate assessment for my working memory! I'm thinking of saving the spatial working memory test's .swf and hosting it on some server somewhere, so that taking the test will no longer have the "virus warning", and that way more people will take it and we can get a more accurate idea of "typical testing results".

Correct Answers: 58
Incorrect Answers: 2 (although they were mistakes! I knew the answers, and bumped the wrong key).
Average Response Time: 580.65 ms
Average Accuracy Score: 96.66%
Performance Brain Age: 12.48

Well, I will be 27 in two days, so I guess my mind is still doing pretty well! lol