Experimental Validation and Reliability Study of the N-Back Working Memory Task

The n-back is a well-known working memory task that has not been experimentally validated among the Pakistani population. Therefore, in light of this gap, this study aimed to experimentally validate and assess the reliability of working memory tasks (alphabet and shapes tasks) in young adults. We employed repeated-measures true experimental design for evaluating the study's main objective, which included 40 participants between the age ranges of 18-25 years, recruited through a purposive sampling technique. The selected participants were randomly allocated into two groups using the fishbowl method to avoid selection bias. Both groups performed alphabet and shape n-back tasks designed on PsychoPy software package 24.4. The study's finding revealed no meaningful difference between both groups' performance in the alphabet and shapes tasks, as both groups' correct and incorrect scores did not vary statistically. In contrast, within-group performance suggested that both groups' performance was distinctively better on the alphabet task than on the shapes task. Thus, we have concluded that the newly developed n-back task is a valid and reliable task for the assessment of working memory.