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 Concept Videos

Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...
Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Conditioned place preference and conditioned place aversion in goldfish.

Behavioural pharmacology·2026
Same author

Computational Modeling of Sequential Dependencies in Mother-Child Social Interaction and Associations to Empathic Responses.

Developmental science·2026
Same author

Distribution of sodium channel mutations associated with pyrethroid resistance in phytoseiid mite species in vineyards.

Journal of pesticide science·2026
Same author

Bright and water-dispersible membrane probes enable visualization of cellular morphologies and dynamics in light-scattering tissues of living mice.

Chemical science·2025
Same author

Experimental analysis of choice behavior in Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica).

Behavioural processes·2025
Same author

Emerging sensitivity to talking mouth in infants with low and elevated likelihood of autism spectrum disorder: A longitudinal study.

Infant behavior & development·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
09:05

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

Published on: June 12, 2017

Longitudinal study of spatial working memory development in young children.

Takeo Tsujii1, Eriko Yamamoto, Sayako Masuda

  • 1Center for Advanced Research on Logic and Sensibility, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. tuji@flet.keio.ac.jp

Neuroreport
|April 9, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study shows that 7-year-olds perform spatial working memory tasks better than 5-year-olds, with increased right frontal cortex activity and lateralization in older children.

More Related Videos

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
14:24

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
09:05

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

Published on: June 12, 2017

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
14:24

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Spatial working memory is crucial for cognitive development.
  • Understanding brain activity changes during childhood is essential for identifying developmental trajectories.
  • Previous research has not longitudinally tracked frontal cortex activation during spatial working memory tasks in young children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally compare frontal cortex activity during a spatial working memory task in 5- and 7-year-old children.
  • To investigate the relationship between brain activity, hemispheric lateralization, and performance improvements in spatial working memory from age 5 to 7.
  • To provide the first demonstration of developmental changes in frontal cortical activation during spatial working memory tasks in the preschool period.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study design involving 8 children assessed at ages 5 and 7.
  • Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) used to measure frontal cortex activity during a spatial working memory task.
  • Behavioral analysis to assess task precision and speed.

Main Results:

  • Older children (7-year-olds) demonstrated significantly improved precision and speed on the spatial working memory task compared to younger children (5-year-olds).
  • Near-infrared spectroscopy revealed right hemisphere dominance in frontal cortical activity in 7-year-olds, whereas 5-year-olds showed no significant hemispheric difference.
  • Strengthened lateralization of brain activity from age 5 to 7 correlated with improved working memory performance.

Conclusions:

  • Significant developmental changes in frontal cortical activation patterns occur during spatial working memory tasks between ages 5 and 7.
  • Increased right-hemisphere dominance and strengthened lateralization are associated with enhanced spatial working memory performance in early childhood.
  • This study provides novel insights into the neural underpinnings of cognitive development in spatial working memory during the preschool years.