Scoring methods and the predictive ability of working memory tasks

Measures of working memory (WM) are useful predictors of cognitive skills and educational attainment in children. A number of scoring methods can be used for WM tasks-for example, the sum of all correctly recalled stimuli in perfectly recalled lists (absolute score) or the proportion of items recalled in the correct serial position during the task (proportion correct). The present study explored whether proportion correct scoring had an advantage over absolute scoring of WM tasks for predicting children's educational attainment. The participants were 81 primary school children aged 7-8 years. Each participant was tested on five measures of WM. Schools supplied national curriculum attainment levels for each child in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. The results revealed that proportion correct scoring resulted in WM tasks' being better predictors of children's achievement. The results are discussed in terms of both psychological theory and implications for research methods.