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Verbal and Visuospatial Short‐Term and Working Memory in Children: Are They Separable?
Author(s) -
Alloway Tracy Packiam,
Gathercole Susan Elizabeth,
Pickering Susan J.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00968.x
Subject(s) - working memory , psychology , short term memory , cognitive psychology , construct (python library) , cognition , verbal memory , developmental psychology , confirmatory factor analysis , spatial memory , structural equation modeling , computer science , neuroscience , machine learning , programming language
This study explored the structure of verbal and visuospatial short‐term and working memory in children between ages 4 and 11 years. Multiple tasks measuring 4 different memory components were used to capture the cognitive processes underlying working memory. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the processing component of working memory tasks was supported by a common resource pool, while storage aspects depend on domain‐specific verbal and visuospatial resources. This model is largely stable across this developmental period, although some evidence exists that the links between the domain‐specific visuospatial construct and the domain‐general processing construct were higher in the 4‐ to‐ 6‐year age group. The data also suggest that all working memory components are in place by 4 years of age.