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

Towse, John N.; Cowan, Nelson; Horton, Neil; Whytock, Shealagh

doi:10.1037/0012-1649.44.3.695

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Methodologically, previous research has shown that children often do not progress beyond correct recall of more than three item-sequences in reading span (e.g. Towse, Cowan, Horton & Whytock, 2008). Therefore, to facilitate task administration, we presented children with two-item and three-item memory sequences, rather than attempting to identify span length for each child.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergies between processing and memory in children’s reading span

Towse

Hitch

Horton

et al. 2010

Developmental Science

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Previous research has established the relevance of working memory for cognitive development. Yet the factors responsible for shaping performance in the complex span tasks used to assess working memory capacity are not fully understood. We report a study of reading span in 7- to 11-year-old children that addresses several contemporary theoretical issues. We demonstrate that both the timing and the accuracy of recall are affected by the presence or absence of a semantic connection between the processing requirement and the memoranda. Evidence that there can be synergies between processing and memory argues against the view that complex span simply measures the competition between these activities. We also demonstrate a consistent relationship between the rate of completing processing operations (sentence reading) and recall accuracy. At the same time, the shape and strength of this function varies with the task configuration. Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential for reconstructive influences to shape working memory performance among children.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergies between processing and memory in children’s reading span

Towse

Hitch

Horton

et al. 2010

Developmental Science

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“…Scores were based on the total number of words correctly recalled, with higher scores indicating better working memory. This method of scoring has good reliability in adults and children [20,21].…”

Section: Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A citizen science study of short physical activity breaks at school: improvements in cognition and wellbeing with self-paced activity

Booth

Chesham

Brooks

et al. 2020

BMC Med

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Background: School-based physical activity and running programmes, such as The Daily Mile™, are increasing in popularity globally. The aim of this research was to examine the acute impact of such classroom physical activity breaks on cognition and affective wellbeing.Methods: A total of 5463 school pupils from 332 schools took part in a citizen science project with a repeated measures design. They completed tasks of cognition (inhibition, verbal, and visuo-spatial working memory) and the Children's Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale before and after three different outdoor activities: a classroom break of 15 min of self-paced activity, a near maximal exhaustion activity (the bleep test), and a no-exercise control group where pupils sat or stood outside. Wellbeing and fitness were examined as mediators of the relationship between outdoor activity and cognition.Results: Fifteen minutes of self-paced outdoor activity was beneficial for pupils' cognition and wellbeing in comparison to both other activities (Cohen's d effect sizes ranging from 0.04 to 0.22; small). The relationship with cognition was not mediated by participants' fitness level and was only partially mediated by wellbeing. Change scores for alertness were higher after the bleep test compared to the control activity but similar for all other outcomes. Conclusions: Taking a break from the classroom to complete 15 min of self-paced physical activity should be considered a worthwhile activity by class teachers, school management, and policymakers. Additionally, more intense physical activity should not be considered to be detrimental.

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“…Preschoolers are able to form thematic representations of events and report on them, based on their more central components (Nelson, 1996). Thematic information also influences word recall tasks, not only in children aged 7-11 (e.g., Towse, Cowan, Horton, & Whytock, 2008) but also into adolescence and adulthood (e.g., Belacchi et al, 2013).…”

Section: Semantic Representationsmentioning

confidence: 99%