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Developmental changes in the inhibition of previously relevant information
1Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 68182-0054, USA. lorsbach@cwis.unomaha.edu
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|March 1, 1997
Summary
Young children struggle to suppress irrelevant information in working memory, unlike young adults. This developmental difference in cognitive inhibition impacts memory performance.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Working memory is crucial for cognitive tasks.
- Inhibitory control, the ability to suppress irrelevant information, develops throughout childhood.
- Understanding developmental changes in inhibition is key to explaining cognitive maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate developmental differences in the ability to suppress irrelevant information in working memory.
- To examine how inhibitory control changes from childhood to adulthood.
Main Methods:
- Participants (second graders, sixth graders, young adults) completed sentence-completion tasks.
- Memory for relevant (target) and irrelevant (disconfirmed) nouns was assessed using implicit priming.
- Performance was measured by analyzing priming effects for both target and disconfirmed nouns.
Main Results:
- Second graders and sixth graders showed priming effects for disconfirmed (irrelevant) nouns, indicating difficulty in suppression.
- Young adults exhibited priming effects only for target (relevant) nouns, demonstrating effective inhibition.
- Significant developmental differences in inhibitory control were observed.
Conclusions:
- Children, especially younger ones, have a less developed ability to inhibit irrelevant information entering working memory.
- This developmental trajectory in cognitive inhibition aligns with established theories of cognitive development.
- Effective inhibitory control is a hallmark of mature cognitive functioning.
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