How to Improve Your Chimp Test Score

In 2007, Tetsuro Matsuzawa's research team at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University published a finding that shocked the cognitive science world: young chimpanzees could memorize the positions of 9 numerals displayed for just 210 milliseconds — a feat that university students could not match even with unlimited viewing time. The star subject, a chimp named Ayumu, performed the task with 80% accuracy at speeds that left human participants at chance level.

The Chimp Test on SENWITT is directly inspired by this research. It measures visuospatial working memory — your ability to rapidly encode the positions and sequence of numbered items on a grid. Unlike number memory (which uses the phonological loop), the Chimp Test depends on the visuospatial sketchpad, a separate working memory system that processes spatial layouts and visual configurations.

Matsuzawa hypothesized that chimpanzees retain an eidetic-like short-term memory that humans traded away during the evolution of language. This “cognitive trade-off hypothesis” suggests that the brain regions humans reallocated to language processing came at the cost of raw visuospatial encoding speed. But while we may never match Ayumu, deliberate training can substantially improve human performance on this task.

The visuospatial sketchpad, a component of Baddeley's working memory model, is responsible for maintaining spatial and visual information. It operates through two subsystems: the visual cache (which stores static images) and the inner scribe (which tracks spatial sequences and movements). The Chimp Test taxes both: you need to snapshot the grid layout (visual cache) and rehearse the click sequence (inner scribe).

Neuroimaging research shows that visuospatial working memory tasks activate the right hemisphere more than verbal tasks, particularly the right prefrontal cortex and the posterior parietal cortex. The parietal region maintains a “spatial map” of object locations, while the prefrontal region controls attention allocation across that map. The superior performance of chimpanzees may relate to differences in parietal cortex organization.

A critical factor in Chimp Test performance is encoding speed — how quickly you can transfer the visual display into working memory. Human visual short-term memory can hold approximately 3-4 items with high fidelity, far fewer than the 7 items typical for verbal memory. This means that for sequences above 4, you must use strategies that compress information (like spatial patterns) rather than trying to remember each position independently.

Research on visual working memory by Luck and Vogel (1997) demonstrated that the 3-4 item limit applies to discrete objects but not to features within objects. This means that encoding a spatial pattern (a shape formed by the number positions) counts as one “object,” potentially freeing capacity for additional items. This finding forms the basis for the most effective Chimp Test strategies.

Snapshot encoding: Train yourself to take a single, wide-focus “photograph” of the entire grid rather than scanning numbers sequentially. Sequential scanning is too slow for higher levels. Soften your gaze, look at the center of the grid, and let the positions register peripherally. This technique leverages your parallel visual processing, which captures spatial layouts in a single fixation.

Pattern recognition: Look for geometric shapes in the number positions. If 1, 2, 3 form a triangle and 4, 5 are in a line, you have two patterns instead of five positions. Spatial patterns are stored as single chunks in visuospatial memory, dramatically reducing the effective memory load.

Edge-first strategy: Encode positions at the edges and corners of the grid first, since these are most likely to decay from memory. Center positions are easier to reconstruct because they have more spatial reference points. By anchoring the edges first, you create a spatial framework that supports recall of interior positions.

Cross-train: Pair Chimp Test practice with Number Memory (sequential working memory) and Symbol Snap (visual processing speed). Number Memory strengthens the central executive that coordinates memory strategies, while Symbol Snap trains the rapid visual discrimination that supports snapshot encoding.

Sequential scanning: Reading numbers 1, 2, 3, 4... in order is the natural instinct but the worst strategy. By the time you find and encode position 5, positions 1 and 2 are already decaying. Parallel encoding (the snapshot approach) is essential for scores above 7.

Verbalizing positions: Saying “top-left, middle-right, bottom-center” silently converts spatial information into verbal information, forcing it through the phonological loop instead of the visuospatial sketchpad. This is slower and less effective. Keep the information spatial — think in images, not words.

Rushing clicks: After the numbers disappear, you have time. Accuracy is more important than speed during the recall phase because wrong clicks cost strikes. Take a brief moment to confirm each position before clicking. The time pressure is during encoding (when numbers are visible), not during recall.

Stress-induced narrowing: Anxiety at higher levels causes attentional narrowing — your visual field literally contracts, making it harder to encode peripheral positions. Practice stress management techniques: deep breaths between rounds, relaxed posture, and accepting that some rounds will be lost. Calm performers consistently outperform anxious ones at the same skill level.