Memory for Digit Span

This subtest of the Wechsler (WISC-R) for children ages 7 through 11 measures short-term memory for a series of numbers, some presented in forward and some in reverse order; it is part of the Child Supplement.

Table 6.1. Digit Span: Total Raw Scores by Child Age and Race/Ethnicity (2010 Sample Cases)
Table 6.2. Digit Span: Total Standard Scores by Child Age and Race/Ethnicity (2010 Unweighted Distribution)
Table 6.3. Digit Span: Forward - Raw Scores by Child Age and Race/Ethnicity (2010 Weighted Scores)
Table 6.4. Digit Span: Backward - Raw Scores by Child Age and Race/Ethnicity (2010 Weighted Scores)

Table 6.1 Digit Span: Total Raw Scores by Child Age and Race/Ethnicity (2010 Sample Cases)

  0-4 5-7 8-10 11-13 14-16 17-28 Invalid Valid Total % Valid
Age of child at date of CS 8 7 20 7 2   6 44 50 88.0
7 Years
8 Years   7 16 12 5   5 40 45 88.9
9 Years 2 9 31 19 7 1 8 69 77 89.6
10 Years   4 37 33 8 7 17 89 106 84.0
11 Years   3 28 38 18 9 22 96 118 81.4
Total 10 30 132 109 40 17 58 338 396 85.4
RACE OF CHILD Age of child at date of CS 2 3 2 3       10 10 100.0
Hispanic 7 Years
8 Years   2 1 6     3 9 12 75.0
9 Years 1 3 6 7 1   2 18 20 90.0
10 Years   2 9 6 2 1 5 20 25 80.0
11 Years     5 9 3 1 4 18 22 81.8
Total 3 10 23 31 6 2 14 75 89 84.3
Black Age of child at date of CS 3 1 4 2 1   3 11 14 78.6
7 Years
8 Years     5   2   1 7 8 87.5
9 Years 1 3 12 5     2 21 23 91.3
10 Years   1 10 9   1 3 21 24 87.5
11 Years   1 6 12 3   7 22 29 75.9
Total 4 6 37 28 6 1 16 82 98 83.7
White Age of child at date of CS 3 3 14 2 1   3 23 26 88.5
7 Years
8 Years   5 10 6 3   1 24 25 96.0
9 Years   3 13 7 6 1 4 30 34 88.2
10 Years   1 18 18 6 5 9 48 57 84.2
11 Years   2 17 17 12 8 11 56 67 83.6
Total 3 14 72 50 28 14 28 181 209 86.6


Table 6.2 Digit Span: Total Standard Scores by Child Age and Race/Ethnicity (2010 Unweighted Distribution)

  1-4 5-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-19 Total Mean Std Dev
AGE OF CHILD 15.9 4.5 29.5 15.9 25.0 9.1 100.0 9.4 3.9
7 Years
8 Years   17.5 25.0 20.0 20.0 17.5 100.0 10.4 3.0
9 Years 2.9 21.7 36.2 21.7 10.1 7.2 100.0 9.1 2.9
10 Years 1.1 27.0 18.0 23.6 21.3 9.0 100.0 9.9 3.1
11 Years 2.1 15.6 28.1 26.0 18.8 9.4 100.0 10.1 3.1
Total 3.6 18.6 26.9 22.5 18.6 9.8 100.0 9.8 3.2
RACE OF CHILD AGE OF CHILD 20.0   30.0 20.0 10.0 20.0 100.0 9.2 4.3
Hispanic 7 Years
8 Years   22.2   22.2 44.4 11.1 100.0 10.8 2.7
9 Years 5.6 22.2 27.8 27.8 16.7   100.0 8.7 3.0
10 Years   40.0 15.0 25.0 15.0 5.0 100.0 9.0 2.9
11 Years   22.2 16.7 38.9 16.7 5.6 100.0 9.9 2.8
Total 4.0 24.0 18.7 28.0 18.7 6.7 100.0 9.4 3.1
Black AGE OF CHILD 27.3 9.1 9.1 9.1 36.4 9.1 100.0 9.1 4.9
7 Years
8 Years     57.1 14.3   28.6 100.0 10.9 3.9
9 Years 4.8 23.8 47.6 19.0 4.8   100.0 8.2 2.1
10 Years   33.3 19.0 28.6 14.3 4.8 100.0 9.4 3.0
11 Years 4.5 22.7 31.8 27.3 13.6   100.0 9.0 2.4
Total 6.1 22.0 31.7 22.0 13.4 4.9 100.0 9.1 3.1
White AGE OF CHILD 8.7 4.3 39.1 17.4 26.1 4.3 100.0 9.6 3.4
7 Years
8 Years   20.8 25.0 20.8 16.7 16.7 100.0 10.1 2.9
9 Years   20.0 33.3 20.0 10.0 16.7 100.0 10.0 3.0
10 Years 2.1 18.8 18.8 20.8 27.1 12.5 100.0 10.5 3.2
11 Years 1.8 10.7 30.4 21.4 21.4 14.3 100.0 10.6 3.4
Total 2.2 14.9 28.2 20.4 21.0 13.3 100.0 10.3 3.2


Table 6.3 Digit Span: Forward - Raw Scores by Child Age and Race/Ethnicity (2010 Weighted Scores)

  0-4 5-7 8-9 10-11 12-14 Total Mean Std Dev
AGE OF CHILD 36.5 41.9 17.5 4.1   100.0 5.5 2.1
7 Years
8 Years 34.0 51.4 9.7 4.9   100.0 5.9 1.8
9 Years 26.6 42.9 27.3 3.1   100.0 6.1 1.9
10 Years 18.5 51.5 24.6 3.9 1.5 100.0 6.5 1.9
11 Years 13.4 46.1 24.2 11.7 4.7 100.0 7.1 2.3
Total 22.7 47.0 22.2 6.3 1.8 100.0 6.4 2.1
RACE OF CHILD AGE OF CHILD 60.4 24.8 14.8     100.0 4.6 2.1
Hispanic 7 Years
8 Years 26.3 44.1 29.6     100.0 6.5 2.0
9 Years 49.8 32.6 17.6     100.0 5.2 2.0
10 Years 39.9 35.2 24.9     100.0 5.6 1.8
11 Years 9.8 67.4 17.2 5.6   100.0 6.8 1.7
Total 35.4 42.8 20.3 1.5   100.0 5.8 2.0
Black AGE OF CHILD 29.1 48.5 22.4     100.0 5.4 2.5
7 Years
8 Years 23.8 43.2 11.3 21.6   100.0 6.7 2.7
9 Years 30.8 63.8   5.3   100.0 5.4 1.6
10 Years 13.8 79.5 2.8 3.9   100.0 6.1 1.4
11 Years 9.2 52.0 25.1 13.6   100.0 7.2 1.8
Total 19.6 60.3 12.0 8.1   100.0 6.2 2.0
White AGE OF CHILD 35.2 42.6 17.1 5.1   100.0 5.5 2.1
7 Years
8 Years 35.4 52.7 8.0 3.9   100.0 5.8 1.7
9 Years 23.1 40.5 33.3 3.1   100.0 6.3 1.8
10 Years 17.3 49.5 27.2 4.2 1.8 100.0 6.6 1.9
11 Years 14.1 43.7 24.7 11.9 5.6 100.0 7.1 2.4
Total 22.0 45.7 23.7 6.4 2.2 100.0 6.5 2.1


Table 6.4 Digit Span: Backward - Raw Scores by Child Age and Race/Ethnicity (2010 Weighted Scores)

  0-4 5-7 8-9 10-11 12-14 Total Mean Std Dev
AGE OF CHILD 91.2 8.8       100.0 2.8 1.5
7 Years
8 Years 61.3 35.5 3.3     100.0 4.1 1.6
9 Years 64.3 30.4 5.3     100.0 4.5 1.7
10 Years 42.5 45.3 8.1 4.1   100.0 5.2 1.8
11 Years 32.9 57.5 3.3 3.2 3.0 100.0 5.5 2.1
Total 52.3 40.3 4.5 2.0 0.9 100.0 4.7 2.0
RACE OF CHILD AGE OF CHILD 100.0         100.0 2.0 1.7
Hispanic 7 Years
8 Years 73.0 27.0       100.0 4.0 1.2
9 Years 71.4 22.6 6.0     100.0 3.9 2.0
10 Years 44.6 51.4 4.0     100.0 4.7 1.5
11 Years 36.8 48.0 4.5 10.6   100.0 5.8 2.3
Total 60.0 33.5 3.6 2.9   100.0 4.3 2.2
Black AGE OF CHILD 85.5 14.5       100.0 2.4 1.9
7 Years
8 Years 67.0 33.0       100.0 4.3 1.2
9 Years 71.7 28.3       100.0 3.9 1.2
10 Years 67.6 28.5   3.9   100.0 4.5 1.4
11 Years 62.5 37.5       100.0 4.2 1.2
Total 69.5 29.6   0.9   100.0 4.0 1.5
White AGE OF CHILD 91.1 8.9       100.0 2.9 1.4
7 Years
8 Years 59.8 36.4 3.8     100.0 4.1 1.7
9 Years 62.1 31.7 6.2     100.0 4.7 1.7
10 Years 39.4 46.8 9.3 4.4   100.0 5.3 1.9
11 Years 29.0 60.7 3.6 3.0 3.6 100.0 5.6 2.1
Total 49.4 42.2 5.1 2.1 1.1 100.0 4.9 2.0