Age-Related and Sex Differences in Visuospatial Working Memory and Its Association with Math Achievement: Insights...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) is crucial for academic success, especially in mathematics.
• The Corsi Block-Tapping Test (CBTT) traditionally measures VSWM by span length.
• Accuracy and reaction time (RT) offer additional insights into VSWM, but RT is understudied in relation to academic performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine age- and sex-related changes in VSWM using CBTT accuracy, span, and RT.
• To investigate the relationship between these VSWM metrics and math achievement across school grades and sexes.

Main Methods:

• Data from 2,749 Russian pupils (ages 10-18) were analyzed.
• Regression analysis was used to assess CBTT indicators and math achievement (average school grades).
• Participants were in grades 5-11 from two regions.

Main Results:

• VSWM accuracy increased and RT decreased from grades 5-8, then both increased after grade 9, indicating a developmental shift.
• Accuracy predicted math grades in grades 5-9, while RT consistently negatively predicted math grades across all grades.
• While sex did not moderate VSWM-math links, girls exhibited greater RT efficiency in late adolescence.

Conclusions:

• VSWM development follows non-linear trajectories that vary by assessment metric.
• A comprehensive assessment of VSWM using multiple indicators is necessary.
• School grades should be interpreted cautiously as indicators of math ability.