Sex differences in verbal forward digit span: A brief communication

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-377
Author(s):  
Majid Manoochehri
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Classical Method ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Phonological Loop ◽  
Score Distribution ◽  
Significant Difference

The overarching role of working memory, its characteristics, and functions in our cognitive system is conspicuous. Nevertheless, sex differences in digit span as an index of the phonological loop - one of the main components of the working memory system - remain puzzling. In spite of numerous attempts, the previous studies yielded inconsistent results. The focus of this article was to study potential sex differences in verbal forward digit span. To this end, a sample of 120 young adults ranging from 16 to 25 years old from Persian population was measured and the memory span scores were analyzed using the classical method of comparing the mean score as well as the relatively new method of comparing the frequency of extreme performances. Similar to some previous studies, no significant difference was observed between males and females’ mean score. However, analyzing the frequency of extreme scores revealed that females were slightly overrepresented in the lower tail of the score distribution. Considering the evidence observed in the present study and other similar works, it is very likely that sex differences in performing memory strategies, but not in the true size of short term memory, are the underlying reasons of the observed differences. The theoretical implications and practical importance of these findings are broadly discussed.

scholarly journals Short-term retention of proprioceptive information

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 2148-2157
Author(s):  
Áron Horváth ◽  
Anett Ragó ◽  
Eszter Ferentzi ◽  
János Körmendi ◽  
Ferenc Köteles
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Phonological Loop ◽  
Proprioceptive Information ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
Visuospatial Sketchpad

The Joint Position Reproduction test (JPR), one of the most widely used measurements to estimate proprioceptive accuracy, requires the short term storage of proprioceptive information. It has been suggested that visuospatial sketchpad plays a fundamental role in the memorization of proprioceptive information. The current study aimed to investigate this assumption. To do so, we developed and used a novel JPR protocol to measure the retention capacity with respect to sequences of different positions. Our goal was to develop the original task further to make it comparable with other widely used short-term memory measurements, in which the memory capacity was determined by the number of the items participants retain (memory span). We compared participants’ (N=39) performance in this task to that of results of Corsi block-tapping task (capacity of the visuospatial sketchpad) and Digit span task (capacity of the phonological loop). Proprioceptive memory capacity did not correlate either with spatial or verbal memory capacity. The exploratory analysis revealed that proprioceptive span correlated positively with the performance if 5 joint positions had to be retained. Further associations with verbal span for 6 or 7 positions, and spatial span for 5 positions were found. Our findings do not support the idea that visuospatial sketchpad plays a fundamental role in the storage of proprioceptive information. The independence of span measures indicates that proprioceptive information might be stored in a subsystem independent of the visuospatial sketchpad or phonological loop.

scholarly journals IS DIGIT SUPERIORITY INDISPENSABLE WITH REGARD TO SHORT TERM MEMORY SPAN?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (22) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Familiar Stimulus ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Superiority Effect ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Color Name ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Familiar Stimuli

It is known that digits have a positive effect on the performance of short term memory (STM) span and it is called the digit superiority effect. This study aims to examine the effect of familiar stimuli (digits, colors, digit names, color names, and words) on STM span. In order to measure STM capacity, a memory span task was used including the digit, word, and color span lists. 91 participants (44 female, 47 male) aged between 18-27 (M = 21,43, SD = 1.50) participated in the study that consisted of three different experiments. Results of Experiment 1 revealed that there was a significant difference between the digit name and word with regard to span size and total span. In Experiment 2 and 3, the main effect of familiar stimulus type on total span and span size was significant, and also the difference between all types of stimuli was significant (Experiment II, digit name>word=color name; Experiment III, digit>digit name>color name>color). The common result obtained from all experiments is that digits are superior with regard to STM span than other familiar stimuli types such as words, color names, colors. This study confirmed that digit superiority effect is indispensable on verbal and visual STM span. Keywords Digit superiority, short term memory, memory span

The relation between the working memory skills of sign language interpreters and the quality of their interpretations

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 340-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICK VAN DIJK ◽  
INGRID CHRISTOFFELS ◽  
ALBERT POSTMA ◽  
DAAN HERMANS
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Articulatory Suppression ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Large Set ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Sign Language Interpreters ◽  
Span Tasks

In two experiments we investigated the relationship between the working memory skills of sign language interpreters and the quality of their interpretations. In Experiment 1, we found that scores on 3-back tasks with signs and words were not related to the quality of interpreted narratives. In Experiment 2, we found that memory span scores for words and signs under oral articulatory suppression were related to the quality of interpreted narratives. We argue that the insensitivity to articulatory suppression in memory span tasks reflects the interpreters' ability to bind information from multiple sources in episodic memory. This enhanced ability leads to less reliance on the retention of information from the source language in memory during interpreting, and will positively affect the quality of interpretations (Padilla, Bajo & Macizo, 2005). Finally, in contrast to previous studies on the memory spans for signs and words (Hall & Bavelier, 2010), we found that the memory spans scores for spoken words and signs were equally large. We argue that the use of a large set of phonologically complex stimuli in the present study may have stimulated participants to use a speech-based code to store and retain the signs in short-term memory.

Working memory in children

1983 ◽  
Vol 302 (1110) ◽  
pp. 325-340 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Developmental Change ◽  
Central Processor ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Developmental Growth ◽  
Children's Memory ◽  
Subvocal Rehearsal

It is frequently assumed that the development of children’s abilities in short-term memory reflects changes in a unitary short-term store. This approach makes only poor contact with recent research on adults, which suggests the idea of a more complex ‘ working memory ’ system consisting of a limited-capacity central processor controlling a number of special-purpose stores. Two such stores are (i) the articulatory loop, a subsystem involved in subvocal rehearsal and associated with memory span, and (ii) the visuo-spatial scratch-pad, involved in imagery. This paper considers the applicability of the working memory framework to the study of children’s memory. In adults, memory span for words is affected by their length, varying linearly with the rate at which they can be articulated, and thus presumably rehearsed. Studies of the developmental growth of memory span in children show that the same linear relation describes performance, with older children’s better memory associated with faster rates of articulation. It appears from this that developmental change corresponds to an increase in the efficiency of subvocal rehearsal, with the decay characteristic of the articulatory loop remaining constant. However, although this simple developmental pattern is observed in memory for sequences of spoken words it is not present when the items are nameable pictures. Further investigation shows that older children use the articulatory loop to remember picture names: their performance is sensitive to phonemic similarity of the names and articulatory interference. However, younger children’s performance is not affected by either of these factors but is sensitive to visual similarity. It is suggested that such children may be storing material in the visuo-spatial scratch-pad. An additional aspect of working memory is that separate mechanisms are thought to be involved in memory span and the ‘recency effect’, the tendency for recent items in a list to be remembered well in unordered recall. A review of evidence obtained with children suggests that age differences in these two phenomena are independent. In general, therefore, it seems difficult to interpret the developmental changes reported here in terms of a unitary short-term store, and it is concluded that working memory provides a more promising approach.

Distinction between Visuo-Spatial Short-Term-Memory and Working Memory Span Tasks

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Lecerf ◽  
Jean-Luc Roulin
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Spatial Span ◽  
Span Test ◽  
Span Tasks

Six experiments are presented that examined the constraints underlying performance in two visuo-spatial span tasks. In the Location Span Test (LST), participants have to memorize the cells of a 5×5 matrix containing arrows, while in the Direction Span Test (DST) they have to memorize the cells pointed at by arrows. The main objective was to assess whether both tasks were similarly influenced by experimental factors. Results showed that performance improved with longer encoding time (1-s. vs. 3-s) only for the DST. Maintenance interval (0-s vs. 5-s) and order of item difficulty (ascending vs. descending) have no effect either on the LST or on the DST. Another experiment indicated that the DST is a better predictor of fluid intelligence. These results seem to provide evidence that the LST and the DST relate to different constructs. Implications of these findings for the distinction between short-term and working memory span tasks are discussed.

Phonological short-term memory, working memory and foreign language performance in intensive language learning

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUDIT KORMOS ◽  
ANNA SÁFÁR
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Digit Span Test ◽  
Span Test

In our research we addressed the question what the relationship is between phonological short-term and working memory capacity and performance in an end-of-year reading, writing, listening, speaking and use of English test. The participants of our study were 121 secondary school students aged 15–16 in the first intensive language training year of a bilingual education program in Hungary. The participants performed a non-word repetition test and took a Cambridge First Certificate Exam. Fifty students were also tested with a backward digit span test, measuring their working memory capacity. Our study indicates that phonological short-term memory capacity plays a different role in the case of beginners and pre-intermediate students in intensive language learning. The backward digit span test correlated very highly with the overall English language competence, as well as with reading, listening, speaking and use of English (vocabulary and grammar) test scores.

scholarly journals Link Between Topographic Memory and the Combined Presentation of ADHD (ADHD-C): A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noemi Faedda ◽  
Cecilia Guariglia ◽  
Laura Piccardi ◽  
Giulia Natalucci ◽  
Serena Rossetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Perseverative Errors ◽  
Spatial Layouts ◽  
Repetition Number ◽  
Visual Materials

Background: Topographic memory is the ability to reach various places by recognizing spatial layouts and getting oriented in familiar environments. It involves several different cognitive abilities, in particular executive functions (EF), such as attention, working memory, and planning. Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show impairments in inhibitory control, regulation of attention, planning, and working memory.Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the topographic memory in children with ADHD-combined subtype (ADHD-C).Method: Fifteen children (8–10 years) with a diagnosis of ADHD-C (DSM-5) (ADHD-C group) were compared to 15 children with typical development (TD group) of the same age. All children performed Raven's colored progressive matrices (CPM) test to obtain a measure related with cognitive functioning. The walking Corsi test (WalCT), a large-scale version of the Corsi block-tapping test, was used to assess topographic memory in experimental environment.Results: A higher impairment was observed in ADHD-C than TD with significant differences in the WalCT, in particular on the topographic short-term memory (TSTM) task, on the topographic learning (TL) task, and on the repetition number (RN) task during the TL task. Perseverative errors were reported in performing the square-sequence in the WalCT. Zero-order correlations showed a positive correlation between TSTM and auditory attention, and memory of design of NEPSY-II and digit span of WISC-IV. No statistically significant differences were found between the ADHD-C group and TD group in the TL task in the WalCT condition.Conclusion: In ADHD-C, initial topographic learning was compromised whereas the long-term retention of learned topographical material seemed to not be impaired. In particular, these impairments seem to be linked with difficulties in sustained attention, in spatial memory for novel visual materials, in a poor working memory, and in perseverative behaviors.

The Hard Fall Effect

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémylle Thomassin ◽  
Corentin Gonthier ◽  
Michel Guerraz ◽  
Jean-Luc Roulin
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Better Than

Participants with a high working memory span tend to perform better than low spans in a variety of tasks. However, their performance is paradoxically more impaired when they have to perform two tasks at once, a phenomenon that could be labeled the “hard fall effect.” The present study tested whether this effect exists in a short-term memory task, and investigated the proposal that the effect is due to high spans using efficient facilitative strategies under simple task conditions. Ninety-eight participants performed a spatial short-term memory task under simple and dual task conditions; stimuli presentation times either allowed for the use of complex facilitative strategies or not. High spans outperformed low spans only under simple task conditions when presentation times allowed for the use of facilitative strategies. These results indicate that the hard fall effect exists on a short-term memory task and may be caused by individual differences in strategy use.

Effects of STM Span, Syntactic Awareness, and Vocabulary Knowledge on Iranian EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 2297
Author(s):  
Katayoun Hashemin ◽  
Asgar Mahmoudi
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Syntactic Awareness ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Knowledge Group

The present study aimed at investigating the effects of Short-Term Memory (STM) span, syntactic awareness, and vocabulary knowledge on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension. The research data were collected using quantitative methods. The data collection instruments included Oxford Placement Test, a working memory span test, and reading pretests and posttests. Sixty seven female intermediate level students were randomly assigned into the three groups of control, syntactic awareness, and vocabulary knowledge. Their performances then were measured and analyzed. Not only did the results reveal that there was a significant difference between the experimental groups and the control group in reading comprehension but also a significant difference between the two experimental groups. In other words, students in the vocabulary knowledge group benefitted more than students in the syntactic awareness. In addition, findings from the study indicated that STM does not affect reading comprehension ability of the students.

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