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Working memory, intelligence and knowledge base in adult persons with intellectual disability.
H Numminen1, E Service, I Ruoppila
1Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. heli.numminen@surfeu.fi
Research in Developmental Disabilities
|June 14, 2002
Summary
Intellectual disability (ID) and young children show different working memory (WM) strengths. ID groups excel with familiar information, while children perform better on tasks requiring rapid processing of new data.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Working memory (WM) deficits are common in intellectual disability (ID).
- Understanding WM structure, processes, and long-term memory contributions in ID remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore WM capacity and task demands in adults with ID compared to typically developing children.
- To investigate the interplay between WM, skills, knowledge base, and intelligence in these groups.
Main Methods:
- Matched fluid intelligence between adult persons with ID and typically developing children (3-6 years).
- Assessed WM capacity, WM task requirements, and related cognitive skills.
Main Results:
- ID group matched children on WM tasks with familiar semantic information.
- ID group outperformed children in skills and knowledge base measures.
- Children excelled in phonological and visuo-spatial WM tasks with non-semantic information.
Conclusions:
- Despite matched fluid intelligence, distinct WM profiles emerged between ID and child groups.
- Hypothesized ID group relies more on long-term memory knowledge, while children utilize efficient online WM processes.