Working memory Corsi, 1972

Corsi block-tapping test

Blocks light up one after another and you tap them back in the same order. The spatial counterpart of the digit span.

Measures: Visuospatial short-term memory span
Template length: about 5 minutes (5 sequences)

A set of blocks is scattered on the screen. Some of them light up in sequence; then you click them in the same order. Sequences get longer as you go.

The test was devised as a spatial version of the digit span, and the two are often given together: comparing them helps separate verbal from visuospatial memory problems.

Try it yourself

A shortened run of the same template researchers use. Nothing is recorded and you do not need an account.

How the task works

1Each block lights up for 0.7 seconds, with a 0.3-second gap between blocks.
2When the sequence ends, press the spacebar, then click the blocks in the same order.
3The template shows one sequence at each length from 2 to 6.

What people usually find

Healthy adults typically reach a span of around five to six blocks, usually a little lower than their digit span. Span declines with age.

How to score it

Span: the longest sequence reproduced perfectly.
Total score: span multiplied by the number of correct sequences, which some normative studies use because it spreads scores out more.

Before you run it

Standard administration gives two or more sequences per length and stops after repeated failures. The template gives one sequence per length, which is quick but coarse.
On a phone or tablet people tap instead of click, which is closer to the original wooden board. The template works with mouse or touch for the recall step but needs the spacebar to start it.

Run it as a study

Use the template as it is

The demo above is the same code as the Corsi Block-Tapping template in the gallery. Add it to a project, change the settings in config.js, publish it and share the link. Reaction times and responses come back to your dashboard.

Create a free account to use it

Or build a variant: add a backward condition and a stopping rule

Paste this into the AI panel in the experiment editor. Read the code it writes before you collect anything.

Build a Corsi block-tapping task with 9 blocks at fixed, irregular positions. Run a forward block and then a backward block. In each, start at 2 blocks with two sequences per length; move up if at least one is correct and stop when both are wrong or after 9. Light each block for 700 ms with a 300 ms gap. Collect the answer by clicking or tapping the blocks, with a "Done" button, and do not require a keyboard at any point so it works on tablets. Record block type, length, sequence, answer and correctness.

Common questions

What does the Corsi test measure?

Visuospatial short-term memory: how many locations, in order, someone can hold and reproduce.

What is a normal Corsi span?

Around five to six blocks in healthy adults, lower in older adults and children. Exact norms depend on the procedure, so compare within your own study.

Can the Corsi test run on a tablet?

Yes, and tapping is close to the original procedure. The template needs a keyboard for one step; the prompt above builds a keyboard-free version.

References

Corsi, P. M. (1972). Human memory and the medial temporal region of the brain (Doctoral dissertation). McGill University.
Kessels, R. P. C., van Zandvoort, M. J. E., Postma, A., Kappelle, L. J., & de Haan, E. H. F. (2000). The Corsi block-tapping task: Standardization and normative data. Applied Neuropsychology, 7(4), 252–258.