Is Size the Only Thing That Matters? The Case of Children's Working Memory

Towse, John N.; Hitch, Graham J.; Hamilton, Zoë R.; Hutton, Una

doi:10.1037/e501882009-178

Cited by 4 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A corpus of 88 sentences (based on medium-length stimuli described in Towse, Hamilton, Hitch, & Hutton, 2000) were randomly divided into two sets, “set A” and “set B”. Allocation of sentence sets to participants was randomised with the alternative end-of-sentence items used for word span stimuli.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Experiment 1 asked participants to read aloud an incomplete sentence and formulate a (constrained and thus predictable) completion word. This processing requirement has been used among adults and children (e.g., Leather & Henry, 1994; Towse et al, 1998, 2000), and helps to ensure that participants attend to the sentences. At the same time, we note that the integrated condition involves memory for a self-generated item, while the independent condition involves memory for a different item that follows the self-generated word.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Recall of Information from Working Memory

Towse

Cowan

Hitch

et al. 2008

Experimental Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We describe and evaluate a recall reconstruction hypothesis for working memory (WM), according to which items can be recovered from multiple memory representations. Across four experiments, participants recalled memoranda that were either integrated with or independent of the sentence content. We found consistently longer pauses accompanying the correct recall of integrated compared with independent words, supporting the argument that sentence memory could scaffold the access of target items. Integrated words were also more likely to be recalled correctly, dependent on the details of the task. Experiment 1 investigated the chronometry of spoken recall for word span and reading span, with participants completing an unfinished sentence in the latter case. Experiments 2 and 3 confirm recall time differences without using word generation requirements, while Experiment 4 used an item and order response choice paradigm with nonspoken responses. Data emphasise the value of recall timing in constraining theories of WM functioning.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Recall of Information from Working Memory

Towse

Cowan

Hitch

et al. 2008

Experimental Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Each long sentence was matched to a short one and differed by extra words that maintained or increased the constraint on the missing word. Full details of the sentences are provided in Towse, Hutton, and Hitch (1997, 1998). Short and long sentences were used for the first and last cards in a set (or vice versa, according to the experimental condition), whereas intermediate sentences were used for other positions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that an extra item is stored for each stimulus presented, this prediction was examined by comparing the speed and accuracy of processing operations at the start and end of each trial. There were typically no significant differences (Towse, Hitch, & Hutton, 1998; Towse et al, 2000). Such differences as were found were in opposite directions in different tasks and were sensitive to practice effects.…”

Section: Is Working Memory Span a Measure Of Resource Sharing?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, methods for measuring working memory capacity remain somewhat primitive and typically rest on the assessment of a person's working memory span (see, e.g., Daneman & Carpenter, 1980, and below). In the present study we develop and extend a previous critique of the assumptions behind this methodology (Towse & Hitch, 1995; Towse, Hitch, & Hutton, 1998; Towse, Hitch, & Hutton, 2000). This in turn suggests directions for a richer account of working memory itself.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

See 1 more Smart Citation

What limits children's working memory span? Theoretical accounts and applications for scholastic development.

Hitch¹,

Towse²,

Hutton³

2001

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

Self Cite

218

223

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Explanations of working memory span in children were studied in a longitudinal follow-up of J. N. Towse, G. J. Hitch, and U. Hutton (1998). Reading span and operation span were lower when within-task retention intervals were lengthened. For each task, variation in span between test waves and age cohorts was systematically related to changes in processing speed. The two spans explained substantial shared variance in both reading and arithmetic scores, with some evidence for domain specificity. Combined span scores predicted unique variance in scholastic attainment over a 1-year interval. The authors concluded that working memory span is constrained by rapid loss of active codes and is not simply a measure of capacity for resource sharing. Working memory is also implicated in scholastic development.

show abstract

Task experience and children's working memory performance: A perspective from recall timing.

Towse¹,

Cowan²,

Horton³

et al. 2008

Developmental Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Working memory is an important theoretical construct among children, and measures of its capacity predict a range of cognitive skills and abilities. Data from 9- and 11-year-old children illustrate how a chronometric analysis of recall can complement and elaborate recall accuracy in advancing our understanding of working memory. A reading span task was completed by 130 children, 75 of whom were tested on 2 occasions, with sequence length either increasing or decreasing during test administration. Substantial pauses occur during participants' recall sequences, and they represent consistent performance traits over time, while also varying with recall circumstances and task history. Recall pauses help to predict reading and number skills, alongside as well as separate from levels of recall accuracy. The task demands of working memory change as a function of task experience, with a combination of accuracy and response timing in novel task situations being the strongest predictor of cognitive attainment.

show abstract

Is Size the Only Thing That Matters? The Case of Children's Working Memory

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

The Recall of Information from Working Memory

The Recall of Information from Working Memory

What limits children's working memory span? Theoretical accounts and applications for scholastic development.

Task experience and children's working memory performance: A perspective from recall timing.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About