Corsi Blocks
Repeat the block sequence
About this trainer
A set of blocks lights up in a sequence; you tap them back in the same order. The sequence grows until you can no longer reproduce it — that length is your spatial span.
What it develops
Visuospatial short-term and working memory — holding and reproducing a pattern of locations in order, the spatial counterpart of digit span.
History
Since the early 1970s it has been one of the standard neuropsychological tests of spatial memory, used in clinics and thousands of studies because it needs almost no language.
Who created it — and when
Canadian-Italian psychologist Philip Corsi, who developed it in the early 1970s (1971–72) while working with Brenda Milner at McGill University.
How to train
Watch the whole sequence before you start tapping; do not move until it finishes. Chunk longer runs into shapes or paths. Push to the length where you fail about half the time — that edge is where span grows.
How long to practise
Short daily sessions of a few minutes. Spatial span is fairly stable, so expect modest, gradual gains rather than dramatic jumps.
Evidence base
A well-validated measure of spatial span; the average healthy adult reproduces around five blocks. Practice raises your score on the task, but as with all span training, broad transfer to unrelated abilities is limited.
Recommendations
Use it to benchmark and gently push spatial memory. Compare your span to your own past results, not to a "normal" number.
FAQ
What is spatial span?
The longest sequence of locations you can reproduce in order — typically around five for healthy adults.
Forward or backward?
Forward taps in the shown order; backward (reverse order) is harder and loads working memory more.
Does it improve memory generally?
It improves your Corsi score and spatial span; broad memory transfer is limited.
Variants
Forward and backward (reverse-order) versions; longer sequences; faster presentation; and 2D-grid or 3D-block layouts.