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

183
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...
183
Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

459
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...
459
Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

343
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
343
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood01:25

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood

435
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
435
Cognitive Development During Adolescence01:18

Cognitive Development During Adolescence

149
During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the...
149
Longitudinal Research02:20

Longitudinal Research

12.6K
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
12.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattention, and cognitive disengagement syndrome: A meta-analytic investigation of overlapping and differential cognitive associations.

Journal of psychopathology and clinical science·2026
Same author

Toward a Consensus Model of Cognitive-Reading Achievement Relations Using Meta-Structural Equation Modeling.

Journal of Intelligence·2025
Same author

General Ability Level Moderates Cognitive-Achievement Relations for Mathematics.

Journal of Intelligence·2025
Same author

Three-Dimensional Narcissism Scale for Children: Structure, Reliability, and Construct Validity.

Assessment·2025
Same author

The inter-association between face processing, intelligence, and autistic-like nonverbal communication.

Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006)·2025
Same author

Alexithymia as a risk factor for poor emotional outcomes in adults with acquired brain injury.

Neuropsychological rehabilitation·2023
Same journal

The frequency of childhood gender-nonconforming behavior in a nationally representative sample.

Developmental psychology·2026
Same journal

Linking childhood adversity and daily hassles to adolescent sleep behaviors: Diurnal cortisol as a mediating pathway.

Developmental psychology·2026
Same journal

Infants' expectations about caregivers' comforting behavior and associations with maternal depressive symptoms at 6, 9, and 12 months.

Developmental psychology·2026
Same journal

Nonsymbolic ratio and fraction magnitude processing predict fraction knowledge in early grades.

Developmental psychology·2026
Same journal

The growing influence of the parental monitoring-peer affiliation pathway in early adolescence.

Developmental psychology·2026
Same journal

Employing a cohort-sequential design spanning 30 years to understand trajectories of maturity fears.

Developmental psychology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

4.9K

Working memory capacity development through childhood: A longitudinal analysis.

Matthew R Reynolds1, Christopher R Niileksela1, Gilles E Gignac2

  • 1Department of Educational Psychology.

Developmental Psychology
|April 7, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Working memory capacity (WMC) in children grows curvilinearly, not linearly, with an increasing yet decelerating pattern. This finding suggests WMC may have been underestimated in children and impacts developmental estimates.

More Related Videos

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

30.0K
A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
09:01

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

10.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

4.9K
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

30.0K
A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
09:01

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

10.3K

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Working memory capacity (WMC) is a key psychological construct.
  • Childhood WMC growth is traditionally viewed as linear.
  • Adult WMC is often estimated at four or five "chunks."

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the developmental trajectory of WMC in childhood.
  • To determine if WMC growth is linear or curvilinear.
  • To re-evaluate WMC estimates in children and adults.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study using digit span backward task.
  • Data collected from a large, representative U.S. kindergarten sample (2011).
  • Latent curve modeling analysis applied to the data.

Main Results:

  • Childhood WMC growth follows a curvilinear pattern: increasing yet decelerating.
  • Scoring rules influence age-based WMC estimates.
  • Current estimates may underestimate children's WMC, making an average adult WMC of five more plausible than four.

Conclusions:

  • WMC development in childhood is not linear but curvilinear.
  • Accurate WMC developmental estimates are crucial for interventions.
  • Findings inform understanding of WMC across the lifespan.