In the chapters that follow, we first draw on more than a decade of research and practical experience to explore why working memory is so vital in our lives and the role it plays in our general work aptitude and in our general life happiness, as well as in learning, overcoming addiction, and achieving in sports. In part II, we show you how working memory changes during our lives from childhood to old age and introduce encouraging evidence about how we can keep our working memory in good shape during later life. We also present specific tools for strengthening working memory—from the most effective brain training programs, to the best foods to eat (some of them may surprise you), to small but crucial tweaks in your daily habits that can make a big difference for your working memory. The chapters in part III imagine a future in which the world is designed to give our working memory the best advantage and look at groundbreaking research on how it gave our ancestors an evolutionary advantage.
Test Your Working Memory
To help you get a basic understanding of the strength of your working memory, here are two quick tests. For a more detailed measure of your working memory power, take the full online test at http://testwm.com.
Test 1
Below is a list of three-letter words. Don’t look at it! Ask a friend to quiz you using the list of words. In level 1 of this test, your friend is going to read aloud two words, like cat and bat. You have to try to remember the two words, reverse them, and repeat them backward. Tab. Tac. In level 2, you have to do the same with three words. In level 3, it’s four words. Most people are able to do level 1, but you need a strong working memory to complete levels 2 and 3 correctly.
Test 2
Level 1
1. Look at the pyramid below. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
2. Now look at this picture. Does it start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
3. Here is another pyramid. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
4. Now look at this picture. Does it start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
5. Now draw arrows to the triangles where the letters appeared, in the correct order.
Level 2
Follow the same directions as in Level 1.
1. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
2. Does the picture start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
3. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
4. Does the picture start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
5. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
6. Does the picture start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
7. Now draw arrows to the triangles where the letters appeared, in the correct order.
Level 3
Follow the same directions as in Level 1.
1. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
2. Does the picture start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
3. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
4. Does the picture start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
5. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
6. Does the picture start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
7. Remember the triangle where the letter appears.
8. Does the picture start with the same letter as the letter in the triangle?
9. Now draw arrows to the triangles where the letters appeared, in the correct order.
Scoring
The number of letters you can remember in the correct order gives you an indication of the strength of your working memory. If you are like most adults, you were probably able to complete levels 1 and 2 of this test correctly. Data from thousands of people confirm that the average five-year-old can remember and process two things. Most adults are able to remember four or five items in the correct order.
If you didn’t fare so well on these tests, don’t get frustrated. You can always make an improvement. If you aced these assessments, don’t get too smug. You need to continually challenge your working memory to keep it in tiptop shape. Doing brain training exercises, such as the ones in this book, can help optimize your working memory.