The effect of configuration on VSWM performance of Down syndrome individuals

Recent studies have demonstrated that individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are poorer than controls in spatial-simultaneous tasks, but not in spatial-sequential tasks. To explain this finding, it has been suggested that the simultaneous visuo-spatial working memory deficit of individuals with DS could be due to the request for processing more than one item at a time. The present study examines the possibility of reducing the difficulties encountered by DS individuals on spatial-simultaneous tasks by proposing a task that uses structured material.

Two tasks were administered to 20 children and adolescents with DS, and 20 controls matched for verbal mental age. The tasks involved memorising and recalling filled-cell positions in a series of matrices in which an increasing number of cells (1-7) were filled. In the structured condition the filled cells were displayed to form a pattern, whereas in the random condition they were randomly arranged.

Results showed that individuals with DS are able to take advantage of structured material for raising their performance, but to a less extent than typically developing children.