Relative Contribution of Verbal Working Memory and Attention to Child Language

2020 ◽  
pp. 153450842094636
Author(s):  
Jason C. Chow ◽  
Eric Ekholm ◽  
Christine L. Bae
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Control Variable ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Intervention Research ◽  
Standardized Assessments ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Relative Contribution

It is common in intervention research to use measures of working memory either as an explanatory or control variable. This study examines the contribution of cognitive abilities, including verbal working memory (WM) and attention, to language performance in first- and second-grade children. We assessed children ( N = 414) on two forms of verbal WM, one attention, and two standardized assessments of language. Scores from all three measures of cognitive abilities significantly predicted latent language (64% variance). Both verbal WM measures were stronger predictors of a latent language variable compared to attention. Exploratory analyses revealed differences in the role of cognitive variables to language subdomains. The findings deepen our understanding on the relative associations between verbal WM, attention, and language. We conclude that it is important to consider the language demands of tasks when making decisions about assessment of verbal WM, specifically in the context of intervention research in domains that require language.

Language Skills of Children With and Without Mathematics Difficulty

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jason C. Chow ◽  
Caitlyn E. Majeika ◽  
Amanda W. Sheaffer
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Young Children ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Mathematics Performance ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
Mathematics Difficulty

Purpose Language is an important skill required for children to succeed in school. Higher language skills are associated with school readiness in young children and general mathematics performance. However, many students with mathematics difficulty (MD) may be more likely to present difficulties with language skills than their peers. The purpose of this report was to compare the language performance of children with and without MD. Method We compared child vocabulary, morphology, and syntax between first- and second-grade children ( N = 247) classified as with or without MD, controlling for child working memory. Results Children with MD ( n = 119) significantly underperformed compared with their peers ( n = 155) on all language measures. The largest difference between children with and without MD was in syntax. Conclusions Children with MD present poorer language skills than their peers, which aligns with previous research linking the importance of syntax with mathematics learning. More research is needed to better understand the complex links between language skills and mathematical development.

scholarly journals Verbal Working Memory in Children With Cochlear Implants

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 3342-3364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Nittrouer ◽  
Amanda Caldwell-Tarr ◽  
Keri E. Low ◽  
Joanna H. Lowenstein
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
Serial Recall Task

Purpose Verbal working memory in children with cochlear implants and children with normal hearing was examined. Participants Ninety-three fourth graders (47 with normal hearing, 46 with cochlear implants) participated, all of whom were in a longitudinal study and had working memory assessed 2 years earlier. Method A dual-component model of working memory was adopted, and a serial recall task measured storage and processing. Potential predictor variables were phonological awareness, vocabulary knowledge, nonverbal IQ, and several treatment variables. Potential dependent functions were literacy, expressive language, and speech-in-noise recognition. Results Children with cochlear implants showed deficits in storage and processing, similar in size to those at second grade. Predictors of verbal working memory differed across groups: Phonological awareness explained the most variance in children with normal hearing; vocabulary explained the most variance in children with cochlear implants. Treatment variables explained little of the variance. Where potentially dependent functions were concerned, verbal working memory accounted for little variance once the variance explained by other predictors was removed. Conclusions The verbal working memory deficits of children with cochlear implants arise due to signal degradation, which limits their abilities to acquire phonological awareness. That hinders their abilities to store items using a phonological code.

scholarly journals Impact of birth complication and early medical illness on cognitive abilities and academic attainment of children and adolescents

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Mst Afroza Parvin ◽  
Shaheen Islam
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Academic Attainment ◽  
Medical Illness ◽  
Early Screening ◽  
Developmental Factors ◽  
Birth Complication ◽  
Significant Difference

The study focused on birth complication and early medical illness as detrimental developmental factors having adverse impact on children and adolescents’ cognitive abilities and academic attainment. To assess cognitive abilities Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth edition (WISC-IV) was administered on 44 (26 boys, 18 girls) students of primary and secondary level schools of Dhaka city. The performance of last two consecutive school examinations was taken as a measure of academic attainment. The results revealed that higher percentages of students who had serious medical illness during early childhood demonstrated poor academic attainment. It has also revealed significant difference in students’ working memory as well as verbal working memory in terms of academic achievements and serious medical illness during childhood. The results of this study have implications for early screening of children with developmental risk factors for early identification of possible poor cognitive abilities and poor academic attainment. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 22(2): 109-117, 2013 (July)

scholarly journals Tapping to Music Predicts Literacy Skills of First-Grade Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csaba Kertész ◽  
Ferenc Honbolygó
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Rapid Automatized Naming ◽  
Reading Accuracy

The ability to synchronise one’s movements to the sound of a regular beat has been found to be associated with children’s language and reading abilities. Sensorimotor synchronisation or tapping performance can among other factors [e.g., working memory and rapid automatized naming (RAN)] predict phonological awareness and word reading accuracy and fluency of first graders. While tapping tasks that use a simple metronome sound are more often used, applying musical stimuli has the potential advantage of being more engaging and motivating for children. In the present study, we investigated whether tapping to a metronome beat or complex musical stimuli would predict phonological awareness and reading outcomes of Hungarian 6-7-year olds (N=37). We also measured participants’ general cognitive abilities (RAN, non-verbal intelligence and verbal working memory). Our results show that phonological awareness, spelling and reading accuracy were associated with the musical tasks while reading fluency was predicted by the metronome trials. Our findings suggest that complex musical tasks should be considered when investigating this age group, as they were, in general, more effective in predicting literacy outcomes.

scholarly journals The Important Role of Contextual Information in Speech Perception in Cochlear Implant Users and Its Consequences in Speech Tests

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 233121651983867 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gertjan Dingemanse ◽  
André Goedegebure
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Use Context

This study investigated the role of contextual information in speech intelligibility, the influence of verbal working memory on the use of contextual information, and the suitability of an ecologically valid sentence test containing contextual information, compared with a CNC (Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant) word test, in cochlear implant (CI) users. Speech intelligibility performance was assessed in 50 postlingual adult CI users on sentence lists and on CNC word lists. Results were compared with a normal-hearing (NH) group. The influence of contextual information was calculated from three different context models. Working memory capacity was measured with a Reading Span Test. CI recipients made significantly more use of contextual information in recognition of CNC words and sentences than NH listeners. Their use of contextual information in sentences was related to verbal working memory capacity but not to age, indicating that the ability to use context is dependent on cognitive abilities, regardless of age. The presence of context in sentences enhanced the sensitivity to differences in sensory bottom-up information but also increased the risk of a ceiling effect. A sentence test appeared to be suitable in CI users if word scoring is used and noise is added for the best performers.

scholarly journals Cognitive Processes Underlying Reading Improvement during a Rhythm-Based Intervention. A Small-Scale Investigation of Italian Children with Dyslexia

Children ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cancer ◽  
Stievano ◽  
Pace ◽  
Colombo ◽  
Antonietti
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Reading Speed ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Neuropsychological Profile ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Italian Children

Music and rhythm-based training programs to improve reading are a novel approach to treatment of developmental dyslexia and have attracted the attention of trainers and researchers. Experimental studies demonstrating poor basic auditory processing abilities in individuals with dyslexia suggest they should be effective. On this basis, the efficacy of a novel rhythm-based intervention, Rhythmic Reading Training (RRT), was recently investigated and found to improve reading skills in Italian children with dyslexia, but its mode of action remains somewhat unclear. In this study, 19 children and preadolescents with dyslexia received 20 sessions of RRT over 10 weeks. Gains in a set of reading-related cognitive abilities—verbal working memory, auditory, and visual attention, and rhythm processing—were measured, along with reading outcomes. Analysis of the specific contribution of cognitive subprocesses to the primary effect of RRT highlighted that reading speed improvement during the intervention was related to rhythm and auditory discrimination abilities as well as verbal working memory. The relationships among specific reading parameters and the neuropsychological profile of participants are discussed.

Working Memory and Down Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Smith ◽  
Christopher Jarrold
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Full Picture ◽  
And Control

A considerable body of research has explored working memory function in individuals with Down syndrome, given the fact that working memory is a strong predictor of numerous cognitive abilities over the course of development. Understanding working memory among individuals with Down syndrome is therefore key to providing a full picture of their overall cognitive profile. A pattern of poorer verbal working memory relative to less impaired visuospatial working memory has been well documented among individuals with Down syndrome, typically in the context of the Baddeley and Hitch (1974) working memory model. Here the review is extended to explore the nature of working memory capacity in terms of the maintenance of item versus order information in working memory. Deficits in both storage and control are explored, and explanations from different models of memory are considered. The relationship between long-term memory and working memory among persons with Down syndrome is subsequently outlined, and the role of working memory is considered in relation to learning among individuals Down syndrome.

scholarly journals Assessment of Verbal and Visuospatial Performance Predicting Cognitive Impairment in a Monolingual, Spanish-Speaking Sample

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1245-1245
Author(s):  
L Castillo ◽  
K Campos ◽  
J R Soble
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Spatial Span ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Span Tasks ◽  
Neuropsychological Evaluations

Abstract Objective The Batería Neuropsicológica en Español (BNE) – Digit Span (DS) and Spatial Span (SS) subtests are popular instruments used to measure the capacity of verbal and visuospatial attention/working memory. Although deficits in working memory performance have been found in cases of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in analogous versions of these tasks among English speakers, very few studies have assessed the ability of verbal and visuospatial span tasks to identify impairment within a mono-lingual Spanish-speaking population. This study investigated the clinical utility of the BNE verbal and visuospatial span tasks for discriminating those with and without cognitive impairment in a Spanish-speaking Hispanic population. Participants and Method Participants were 46 monolingual, Spanish-speaking Hispanics, 28 women (60.9%) and 18 (39.1%) men (M age = 63.41 (SD = 14.54); M education = 8.41 (SD = 4.39), referred for neuropsychological evaluations, which included the BNE-DS/SS. Three patients with invalid performances were excluded. Of the remaining 46, 17 were cognitively intact following evaluation, whereas 29 met criteria for a neurocognitive disorder. Results Logistic regression analysis revealed that although DS backward model was significant, both DS forward age/education-corrected T- scores (p = .878) and DS backward (p = .67), were not significant predictors of cognitive impairment. In contrast, both SS forward (p = .002) and backward (p = .022) were significant predictors of impairment status with respective classification accuracies of 63% and 76.1%. Conclusions Findings suggest better performance on visuospatial working memory (SS) is associated with generally intact cognitive abilities and decreased odds of cognitive impairment in a sample of monolingual Spanish-Speaking Hispanics; whereas verbal working memory (DS) findings were less robust.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document