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PubMed · 16060806

Mapping the developmental constraints on working memory span performance.

Donna M Bayliss·Christopher Jarrold·Alan D Baddeley·Deborah M Gunn·Eleanor Leigh
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Abstract

This study investigated the constraints underlying developmental improvements in complex working memory span performance among 120 children of between 6 and 10 years of age. Independent measures of processing efficiency, storage capacity, rehearsal speed, and basic speed of processing were assessed to determine their contribution to age-related variance in complex span. Results showed that developmental improvements in complex span were driven by 2 age-related but separable factors: 1 associated with general speed of processing and 1 associated with storage ability. In addition, there was an age-related contribution shared between working memory, processing speed, and storage ability that was important for higher level cognition. These results pose a challenge for models of complex span performance that emphasize the importance of processing speed alone.

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Age FactorsAptitudeAssociation LearningChildChild DevelopmentCognitionColor PerceptionDiscrimination LearningFemaleHumansIntelligence TestsMaleMemory, Short-TermOrientationPattern Recognition, VisualPitch DiscriminationReaction TimeRetention, PsychologySize PerceptionJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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Donna M Bayliss, Christopher Jarrold, Alan D Baddeley, Deborah M Gunn, Eleanor Leigh. 2005. Mapping the developmental constraints on working memory span performance.. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.41.4.579

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