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Development of memory span for spoken words: The role of rehearsal and item identification processes
Author(s) -
Hitch G. J.,
Halliday M. S.,
Littler J. E.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
british journal of developmental psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 2044-835X
pISSN - 0261-510X
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-835x.1993.tb00595.x
Subject(s) - psychology , span (engineering) , memory span , variation (astronomy) , word (group theory) , working memory , baddeley's model of working memory , life span , word identification , identification (biology) , short term memory , cognition , audiology , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , linguistics , word recognition , neuroscience , gerontology , medicine , philosophy , civil engineering , physics , astrophysics , engineering , reading (process) , botany , biology
Developmental increases in verbal memory span are correlated with improvements culation rate (AR) and item identification time (IT). In different theoretical accounts, AR reflects the efficiency of an articulatory rehearsal loop, while IT reflects the availability of a central workspace. In the present study, IT and AR were compared as predictors of memory span for spoken words of one, two and three syllables in children aged 5, 8 and 11. The results showed that a linear function described the variation of span with both age and word‐length but there was no equivalent relationship between span and IT. The sensitivity of span to word‐length was much reduced when rehearsal was prevented by articulatory suppression. These findings suggest that variation of span with age and word‐length is attributable to rehearsal rather than the availability of a central workspace. However, suppression did not reduce age differences in span, showing that developmental processes other than rehearsal are also important.