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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...
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Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
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Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
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Updated: May 6, 2026

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
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Working memory and language comprehension: A meta-analysis.

M Daneman1, P M Merikle

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, L5L 1C6, Mississauga, ON, Canada, daneman@psych.utoronto.ca.

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|November 12, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Measures of working memory that assess both processing and storage capacity, like reading span, significantly predict language comprehension better than storage-only measures. This finding extends beyond verbal tasks, including mathematical ones.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Psycholinguistics

Background:

  • Working memory capacity is crucial for complex cognitive tasks.
  • Previous research suggests specific working memory measures predict language comprehension.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the predictive power of different working memory measures on language comprehension.
  • To validate the effectiveness of Daneman and Carpenter's (1980) working memory measures.
  • To explore the generalizability of process-plus-storage measures beyond verbal tasks.

Main Methods:

  • A meta-analysis synthesizing data from 77 studies.
  • Inclusion of 6,179 participants' data.
  • Comparison of predictive accuracy between various working memory assessment types.

Main Results:

  • Measures assessing both processing and storage (e.g., reading span, listening span) significantly predicted language comprehension.
  • These process-plus-storage measures outperformed measures assessing only storage (e.g., digit span).
  • Mathematical process-plus-storage measures also demonstrated strong predictive power for comprehension.

Conclusions:

  • Working memory measures that combine processing and storage are superior predictors of language comprehension.
  • The effectiveness of these measures is not confined to verbal processing.
  • Findings support and extend the original claims regarding working memory's role in comprehension.