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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
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The first year in formal schooling improves working memory and academic abilities.
Christina Davidson1, Yee Lee Shing2, Courtney McKay3
1School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|February 1, 2023
Summary
Starting primary school boosts children's working memory, vocabulary, and numeracy. Formal schooling enhances neurocognitive development and academic skills more than just age progression alone.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Neurocognition and academic abilities in early childhood are influenced by both developmental changes and the transition to formal schooling.
- Distinguishing the effects of formal schooling from age-related development is crucial for understanding early learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the independent effects of formal schooling versus chronological age on working memory (WM), vocabulary, and numeracy.
- To differentiate the neurocognitive and academic impacts of school entry using a school cut-off design.
Main Methods:
- A school cut-off design compared first-graders (FG) with same-aged kindergarteners (KG) deferred from school entry.
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measured brain activation during a working memory task.
- Children completed standardized assessments for vocabulary and non-symbolic numeracy.
Main Results:
- First-graders demonstrated greater improvements in working memory performance and showed increased left-lateralized fronto-parietal network activation compared to kindergarteners.
- First-graders also exhibited larger gains in vocabulary and non-symbolic numeracy scores.
- Working memory function predicted the observed improvements in vocabulary and numeracy after a year of primary school.
Conclusions:
- Formal schooling confers significant neurocognitive and academic benefits, particularly in working memory, vocabulary, and numeracy.
- Early exposure to primary education enhances brain network engagement and skill development.
- Working memory plays a critical role in mediating the academic gains associated with formal schooling.
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