Working Memory
Listening Span Task
Also called: LSPAN, listening span test, auditory span task, complex span task with spoken sentences
Measure complex working memory with spoken sentences judged true or false while the last word of each is held in mind and recalled in order.
6-8 minUntimed
Free to start: 10 free participants per account, then $0.99 per participant for academic research, or any yearly plan. Try it here first, with no account.
- Papers, 2021 to 2025
- 35
- Evidence grade
- C
- Registered clinical studies
- 2
What it measures
Measures working memory capacity with spoken sentences (Daneman and Carpenter, 1980). Participants hear short sentences read by a computer voice, answer whether each is true or false, and remember each sentence's last word; after each set of 2 to 6 sentences they choose the words in the order heard. Sentences in all eight languages; results are research measures.
Constructs
- Working memory capacity
- Executive attention
- Serial recall
- Listening comprehension under memory load
Research uses
- Individual-difference studies of working memory capacity
- Listening comprehension and language research
- Within-study group comparison
How the paradigm works
The listening span task measures complex working memory with spoken sentences: keeping words in mind while listening to sentences and judging them. Daneman and Carpenter (1980) built it as the listening counterpart of their reading span task. Each sentence plays once; the participant answers whether it is true or false and remembers its last word. After each set, the participant chooses the set's words in the order heard from a grid of 12 words, with a Blank button for a word they forgot, as the automated complex span tasks recall letters (Unsworth et al. 2005).
More about the paradigm
A session plays 24 short sentences in the participant's language, half true and half false: two practice sets of two sentences with feedback, then one test set each of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 sentences in a random order, for 20 sentences and 20 words. The True and False buttons work once a sentence has ended, for 3 seconds (2 to 6 as a setting); a sentence left unanswered counts as a speed error. The sentences are everyday facts written for this test, the same 30 in each of the eight languages, like the instructions' examples "The sun gives light" (true) and "Cats live in the sea" (false). They are read by synthetic voices, one open text-to-speech voice per language. Sentences a speech recognizer misheard in every version made are left out, and in Chinese and Japanese, where a sentence ends on its verb, the word to remember is the last thing each sentence names. The sentences play through speakers or headphones after a loudness step. Desktop, laptop, tablet or phone; about 6 to 8 minutes.
The main score is the partial span score: words recalled in their place, 0 to 20. The absolute span score, true or false accuracy, speed and accuracy errors, and recall in the set of each size are also reported. Sessions with true or false accuracy below 85% are flagged. Daneman and Carpenter ran three sets of each size; one set of each fits the sentences available in every language. Foster and colleagues (2015) found that cutting the trials of a battery of complex span tasks by 67% still accounted for 90% of the variance in their measurement of fluid intelligence, but one set per size gives a noisier score for one person than a full-length task, so compare groups. Scores support research and do not diagnose.
Scores
- Partial Span Scorecount
- Words recalled in their place across the five test sets (0 to 20).
- Higher is better
- Absolute Span Scorecount
- Sum of set sizes for sets recalled perfectly (0 to 20).
- Higher is better
- Partial-Credit Unit Score%
- Mean share of words recalled in their place per set.
- Higher is better
- True or False Accuracy%
- Test sentences answered rightly as true or false, out of all test sentences heard.
- Below 0.85 flags the session
- True or False Errorscount
- Speed errors plus accuracy errors.
- Lower is better
- Speed Errorscount
- Test sentences not answered within the time to answer.
- Lower is better
- Accuracy Errorscount
- Test sentences answered wrongly as true or false.
- Lower is better
- Low True or False Accuracyflag
- 1 when true or false accuracy is below 85%; review before analysis.
- Informational
- Recall, Set of 2%
- Share of words recalled in their place in the set of 2.
- Higher is better
- Recall, Set of 3%
- Share of words recalled in their place in the set of 3.
- Higher is better
- Recall, Set of 4%
- Share of words recalled in their place in the set of 4.
- Higher is better
- Recall, Set of 5%
- Share of words recalled in their place in the set of 5.
- Higher is better
- Recall, Set of 6%
- Share of words recalled in their place in the set of 6.
- Higher is better
- Median Answer Timems
- Median time from the end of a test sentence to the answer, over answers at or after 100 ms.
- Informational; answers have a time limit
- Anticipationscount
- Answers within 100 ms of the end of the sentence.
- More than max(2, 20%) of the sentences invalidates
- Sets Completedcount
- Test sets recalled in the scored run.
- Fewer than 5 withholds the percentile
Use and evidence
35 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, down 31% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 340 of 495 test families in our census. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2017 | 11 |
| 2016 | 13 |
| 2015 | 9 |
| 2014 | 13 |
| 2013 | 15 |
| 2012 | 13 |
| 2011 | 7 |
| 2010 | 9 |
| 2009 | 11 |
| 2008 | 14 |
| 2007 | 9 |
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2005 | 5 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2003 | 6 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2001 | 6 |
| 2000 | 3 |
Use grade D
30 to 99 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade C
At least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 5
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 30
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 2
How the grades work
Use: A is 1,000 or more papers from 2021 to 2025, B 300 to 999, C 100 to 299, D 30 to 99 and E fewer than 30. Evidence: A means at least 25 papers report its test-retest reliability and at least 25 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome; B, at least 8 test-retest papers, and either 5 registered clinical studies or 150 reliability or validity papers; C, at least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies; D, little published measurement evidence found. The counts measure use. They include every paper that names the task in its title or abstract. Grades describe the published research on this task, not ConductCognition's version of it.
Source: ConductCognition test census 0.22.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Task design
The trial sequence as the test runs in ConductCognition.
- Sentences
- 24 short spoken sentences per session, 12 true and 12 false, from 30 everyday facts written for this test and read by a synthetic voice in the participant's language. None is heard twice in a session.
- Sets
- Two practice sets of 2 sentences, then one test set each of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 sentences in random order: 20 sentences and 20 words.
- Answer
- True or False. The buttons turn on when the sentence ends and wait 3,000 ms (standard; 2,000 to 6,000). A sentence not answered in time is a speed error.
- Word to remember
- The last word of each sentence. Chinese and Japanese sentences end on their verb, so there it is the last noun.
- Recall
- Click the set's words in the order heard on a grid of 12 words, the set's own and other sentences', with a Blank button for a forgotten word, then 2,000 ms of feedback.
- Practice
- Feedback for 1,000 ms after each answer, and the words recalled and answer errors after each set.
- Sound
- A loudness step comes first, with no headphone check, so speakers or headphones both work. Sentences play at -12 dB re the loudness tone.
- Answer criterion
- Sessions below 85% true or false accuracy are flagged.
Daneman and Carpenter (1980) used three sets of each size and spoken recall. This version uses one set of each size, so that the sentences recorded in every language suffice, and recall on a grid, as the automated span tasks do. The voices are synthetic and the sentences are this test's own, so no published listening span norms apply. Scores support research and do not diagnose.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scored rows: test-phase true or false answers to each sentence (chance 50%, half the sentences true), from the scored run, in the order heard and timed from the end of the sentence; a sentence not answered in time is a missed response. Accuracy below chance invalidates and not above chance is flagged. One button on 90% of answers invalidates when accuracy is not above chance. Accuracy below 85% is flagged. Word recall is not judged against chance. A hidden tab withholds the percentile. Missed responses and responses under 100 ms follow the timed-test rule.
Why these rules
Accuracy significantly below chance (one-sided exact test, p < .05) cannot come from guessing; it means the response mapping was reversed or the task was not followed (Slick, Sherman and Iverson 1999 treat below-chance forced-choice performance as definite response bias). Chance-level accuracy can be a real result in impaired participants, so it is only flagged. One option on at least 90% of answered trials, when the correct options are balanced and accuracy is not above chance, means the answers did not depend on the items (the task counterpart of long-string responding in surveys; Curran 2016). Missed responses and responses under 100 ms keep the platform's timed-test rule: more than max(3, 25%) missed responses or more than max(2, 20%) responses under 100 ms invalidate, and any is flagged. A response under 100 ms cannot be a reaction to the stimulus. Unsworth et al. (2005) and Redick et al. (2012) kept participants whose processing accuracy reached 85%, so accuracy below that is flagged. A hidden tab lets the study, delay or response timers run without the participant, so a percentile is withheld after one.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Time to answer (ms) | 3,000 | 2,000 to 6,000 |
Yearly plans can change settings within these limits. Free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Need a setting this test does not have?
Devices and languages
- Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. Participant devices
- Languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese.
- Available on: Every plan, including the free plan.
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite and describe
Participants completed the Listening Span Task in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Daneman & Carpenter, 1980), with the standard settings (time to answer (ms): 3,000). The main score was partial span score (words recalled in their place across the five test sets (0 to 20)).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Daneman, M., & Carpenter, P. A. (1980). Individual differences in working memory and reading. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 19(4), 450-466. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5371(80)90312-6
- Unsworth, N., Heitz, R. P., Schrock, J. C., & Engle, R. W. (2005). An automated version of the operation span task. Behavior Research Methods, 37(3), 498-505. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03192720Recall on a grid and the 85% criterion.
- Conway, A. R. A., Kane, M. J., Bunting, M. F., Hambrick, D. Z., Wilhelm, O., & Engle, R. W. (2005). Working memory span tasks: A methodological review and user's guide. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12(5), 769-786. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196772Partial and absolute scoring, and sets of mixed sizes in a random order.
- Foster, J. L., Shipstead, Z., Harrison, T. L., Hicks, K. L., Redick, T. S., & Engle, R. W. (2015). Shortened complex span tasks can reliably measure working memory capacity. Memory & Cognition, 43(2), 226-236. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-014-0461-7Shortened complex span tasks keep most of what the full tasks measure.
- Bazan, B. (2021). The construction and validation of a new listening span task. Shiken, 25(1), 39-56. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTSIG.TEVAL25.1-4Daneman and Carpenter's listening span procedure, and Japanese versions that ask for another word than the last.
Source papers
- Daneman M, Carpenter PA (1980). Individual differences in working memory and reading. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 19(4):450-466.Paradigm source, Young adults
- Unsworth N, Heitz RP, Schrock JC, Engle RW (2005). An automated version of the operation span task. Behavior Research Methods, 37(3):498-505.Paradigm source, 18-35
- Conway ARA, Kane MJ, Bunting MF, Hambrick DZ, Wilhelm O, Engle RW (2005). Working memory span tasks: a methodological review and user's guide. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12(5):769-786.Paradigm source, Adults
- Foster JL, Shipstead Z, Harrison TL, Hicks KL, Redick TS, Engle RW (2015). Shortened complex span tasks can reliably measure working memory capacity. Memory & Cognition, 43(2):226-236.Paradigm source, Adults
Questions
How long does the Listening Span Task take?
About 6 to 8 minutes, as listed in the test library.
What device does a participant need?
Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. The browser must be Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
What scores does it produce?
Partial Span Score, Absolute Span Score, Partial-Credit Unit Score, True or False Accuracy, True or False Errors, Speed Errors, Accuracy Errors, Low True or False Accuracy, Recall, Set of 2, Recall, Set of 3, Recall, Set of 4, Recall, Set of 5, Recall, Set of 6, Median Answer Time, Anticipations and Sets Completed. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Listening Span Task used in research?
35 papers from 2021 to 2025 name it in their title or abstract, down 31% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 340 of 495 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade D). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.22.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Listening Span Task have?
In the published research, 5 papers report its test-retest reliability and 2 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome (evidence grade C in the ConductCognition test census).
Which settings can a researcher change?
Time to answer (ms) (2,000 to 6,000). Settings can be changed on yearly plans; free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Which languages can participants use?
Participants can take this test in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese, with its words in the same language. English is on every plan, and the other languages come with yearly plans. Have a native speaker read the machine-translated text before launch.
Is this a clinical test?
No. ConductCognition is for research use only. It runs, scores and exports the test; clinical interpretation is outside the platform.
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