Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Children's working memory: investigating performance limitations in complex span tasks.

Juliet A Conlin1, Susan E Gathercole, John W Adams

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|March 22, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Complex working memory span in children is hindered by tasks demanding attention, not just storage. Resource-sharing and memory demands impact performance, with attentional load being key.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Neurodevelopmental and Psychosocial Outcomes in Adolescence of Children with Early Diagnoses of ADHD, Autism, Dyscalculia and Dyslexia.

Research on child and adolescent psychopathology·2025
Same author

Associations Between ADHD Symptom Dimensions and Cognition in Children With ADHD and Learning Difficulties.

Journal of attention disorders·2025
Same author

Unique pharmacological properties of etrasimod among S1P receptor modulators.

FEBS open bio·2024
Same author

Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of Etrasimod: Single and Multiple Ascending Dose Studies in Healthy Adults.

Clinical pharmacology in drug development·2024
Same author

Asymmetric negative transfer effects of working memory training.

Memory & cognition·2023
Same author

Cognitive Dimensions of Learning in Children With Problems in Attention, Learning, and Memory.

Journal of educational psychology·2022

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Complex working memory span is crucial for cognitive development.
  • Understanding factors influencing working memory span in children is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the roles of resource-sharing and intrinsic memory demands in children's working memory span.
  • To determine how processing complexity and attentional demands affect working memory performance.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted with 7- and 9-year-old children.
  • Varied processing complexity, storage demands, and attentional load across tasks like mental arithmetic and odd/even judgments.
  • Equated pacing requirements in Experiment 3.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Memory span was not affected by processing complexity alone when processing times were equal.
  • Articulatory suppression yielded the highest spans, followed by mental arithmetic, and then odd/even judgments.
  • Differences between arithmetic and odd/even judgments disappeared when pacing was equated.

Conclusions:

  • Complex working memory span performance is disrupted by processing activities that divert attentional resources from storage.
  • Attentional demands, rather than intrinsic storage needs alone, significantly impact working memory span in children.