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Working memory predictors of mathematics across the middle primary school years
Author(s) -
Allen Katie,
Giofrè David,
Higgins Steve,
Adams John
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
british journal of educational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.557
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 2044-8279
pISSN - 0007-0998
DOI - 10.1111/bjep.12339
Subject(s) - psychology , working memory , developmental psychology , spatial ability , short term memory , cognition , memory span , mathematics education , neuroscience
Background Work surrounding the relationship between visuospatial working memory (WM) and mathematics performance is gaining significant traction as a result of a focus on improving academic attainment. Aims This study examined the relative contributions of verbal and visuospatial simple and complex WM measures to mathematics in primary school children aged 6–10 years. Sample A sample of 111 children in years 2–5 were assessed ( M age = 100.06 months, SD = 14.47). Method Children were tested individually on all memory measures, followed by a separate mathematics testing session as a class group in the same assessment wave. Results and Conclusions Results revealed an age‐dependent relationship, with a move towards visuospatial influence in older children. Further analyses demonstrated that backward word span and backward matrices contributed unique portions of variance of mathematics, regardless of the regression model specified. We discuss possible explanations for our preliminary findings in relation to the existing literature alongside their implications for educators and further research.