Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
09:05
Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
Published on: June 12, 2017
[Development of working memory brain organization in young schoolchildren]
Fiziologiia Cheloveka
|April 8, 2011
Summary
Children aged 9-10 show near-mature working memory organization, with distinct brain activity patterns compared to 7-8 year olds. However, prefrontal cortex involvement is not yet fully developed in the older group.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Context:
- Investigates the development of working memory in children using electroencephalography (EEG).
- Compares brain activity (event-related potentials - ERPs) in two age groups (7-8 and 9-10 years) during a visuo-spatial task.
Purpose:
- To identify age-related differences in cortical involvement during working memory encoding and comparison.
- To examine the maturation of neural processes underlying working memory in pre-adolescent children.
Summary:
- Both age groups showed increased N1 ERP component amplitude in visual cortices during working memory. Older children (9-10) exhibited enhanced P1 and N1 components, earlier ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex activation, and adult-like late ERP components (N400, LPC).
- Significant differences were found in late ERP components related to cognitive operations, with 7-8 year olds showing increased late positive complex (LPC) in caudal areas, while 9-10 year olds displayed more mature patterns.
Impact:
- Suggests that the functional organization of working memory is nearly mature by age 9-10.
- Highlights that while core working memory processes are established, the full maturation of prefrontal cortex engagement continues beyond this age.
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