What task would most likely assess the ability to manipulate information in working memory?

Span tasks are designed specifically to evaluate an individual's capacity to hold and manipulate information in working memory. In these tasks, participants are often required to recall a sequence of items presented to them in a specific order, or they may need to repeat the items in reverse order. This requires not only the retention of information but also the ability to manipulate it mentally, making span tasks a prime method for assessing working memory capacity.

While sound recognition tests primarily focus on auditory processing and memory recall, operational math tasks may involve problem-solving and numerical reasoning but do not exclusively assess working memory. Visual memory tasks typically examine the ability to remember and recall visual information, which might not involve the same degree of manipulation as span tasks do. Thus, the nature of span tasks aligns directly with assessing the manipulation of information, making them the most suitable choice for evaluating working memory function.