The developmental trajectories of working memory updating from early childhood to adolescence: A meta-analysis

Working memory updating is a crucial cognitive function for learning and academic achievement that develops significantly throughout childhood and adolescence. Despite the varieties of existing tasks to measure children's working memory updating, its overall developmental trajectory and task-specific developmental patterns remain inadequately understood. This meta-analysis examined 99 studies (N = 35,858 participants) on working memory updating performance in individuals aged 3 to 17 years, using a range of updating paradigms. Results revealed three key findings. Firstly, a significant positive developmental trend with the largest improvements was observed in early to middle childhood (ages 3-8) (d = 2.29). Secondly, meta-regression analyses revealed that while both linear and quadratic models adequately described the developmental trajectory, the quadratic model provides superior fit, indicating steeper improvements in early childhood that gradually level off in adolescence. Thirdly, task-specific analyses demonstrated distinct developmental patterns: backward recall tasks exhibited the strongest age-related improvement (β = .21), whereas n-back and selective updating tasks showed relatively flat trajectories. Together these findings suggest that working memory updating follows a curvilinear developmental progression with substantial task-specific variations. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights for understanding the development of working memory updating and practical implications for age-appropriate cognitive function measures.