An Exploratory Study for Assessment of Multimodal Semantic Memory in Colombian Children

Abstract

Semantic memory (SM) is a type of long-term memory associated with the storage of general information about the world. Here we assessed the characteristics of the SM battery, developed by Catricalà et al. (2013), in a sample of Colombian children. This battery was originally conceived to evaluate adults, and features six subtests that assess SM in different modalities, using a common set of 48 stimuli in both living and nonliving categories. The design of the current study is of a cross-sectional and exploratory type. The sample was composed of 111 children, 57 boys (51%) and 54 girls (49%), who were 6 (n = 68) and 7 (n = 43) years old and had no intellectual disability. Robust linear regression models and correlation networks were used. We found an effect of age on general intelligence after correcting for gender, and no differences on the six subtest scores after corrections for gender and age were performed. Furthermore, age was found to be positively associated with the naming of colored photographs (β = .75, p = .039), naming in response to an oral description (β = 1.81, p = .039), picture sorting at four levels (β = 7.22, p = .029), and sentence verification (β = 26.66, p = .01). In addition, there were differences between the results obtained in adults in the original study and in the children of our study. This exploratory study supports the feasibility of the Spanish translation of the Catricalà et al. (2013) battery to assess SM in children with a nonclinical condition. Future studies are needed to evaluate the psychometric properties of this SM battery, and to corroborate and expand our findings in a larger sample of control children, and in children with some degree of intellectual disability or suffering of some neurodegenerative or psychiatric conditions.

Semantic Memory and Lexical Availability in Parkinson’s Disease: A Statistical Learning Study

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Using Technology for the Efficient and Precise Assessment of Cognitive Skills in Countries with Limited Standardized Assessment Instruments: A Report on the Case of Saudi Arabia

“…Some examples are: number line estimation, the ability to translate quantities to estimate their relative positions in a linear representation, an indicator of children's representations of numerical magnitude [48]; the approximate number system (ANS), the rapid evaluation of relative quantities of objects, foundational to symbolic learning in mathematics [49]; and statistical or implicit learning, the domain-general ability to detect statistical regularities in information provided by the environment, a potentially key player in language acquisition [50]. In this aspect, Alif-Ya is in line with current innovative neuropsychological assessment development, such assessments for semantic memory [51,52]. In addition, Alif-Ya addresses a component of intelligence that is not part of most traditional assessment batteries yet has been defined as a key skill in non-Western world contexts: social reasoning.…”

Physical activity and academic performance in people with Trisomy 21. A narrative review

“…La memoria episódica almacena los recuerdos, los acontecimientos autobiográficos, las emociones y las experiencias personales en su contexto espacio-temporal (Strempler-Rubio et al, 2015). La semántica, almacena el conocimiento de las personas en forma de palabras (Navarro et al, 2020). Por último, la memoria implícita, almacena el conocimiento relacionado con las habilidades motoras que se adquieren con la práctica, y se van automatizando por repetición (Ramos et al, 2017).…”