Digit Span subtest is comprised in the WISC-III and WAIS-III and it constitutes an attention and working memory measure. Assuming that performance in each part of this subtest implies in different cognitive functions, the determination of performance patterns and of discrepancies can be useful in clinical evaluation. The present article shows the results of the samples of Brazilian standardization of the tests WISC-III and WAIS-III in the forward and backward orders of the digits, analyzing the discrepancies between each of them. Subjects remembered a larger number of digits in the forward than in the backward. In WISC-III, the median of the maximum amount of digits retained by children was five digits in the forward and three in the backward. In WAIS-III, the median was five digits in the forward and four digits in the backward. The number of digits retained was lower than the reported for the American standardization samples.
working memory; attention; Digit Span; WISC-III; WAIS-III
