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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 579-97 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Developmental Psychology |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2005 |
Keywords
- Age Factors
- Aptitude
- Association Learning
- Child
- Child Development
- Cognition
- Color Perception
- Discrimination Learning
- Female
- Humans
- Intelligence Tests
- Male
- Memory, Short-Term
- Orientation
- Pattern Recognition, Visual
- Pitch Discrimination
- Reaction Time
- Retention (Psychology)
- Size Perception