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On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers

This study aims at investigating the relationship between working memory updating and working memory capacity in preschool children. A sample of 176 preschoolers (36–74 months) was administered a working memory updating task (Magic House) along with three working memory capacity tests that specifica...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Panesi, Sabrina, Bandettini, Alessia, Traverso, Laura, Morra, Sergio
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8883976/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35225921
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10010005
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author Panesi, Sabrina
Bandettini, Alessia
Traverso, Laura
Morra, Sergio
author_facet Panesi, Sabrina
Bandettini, Alessia
Traverso, Laura
Morra, Sergio
author_sort Panesi, Sabrina
collection PubMed
description This study aims at investigating the relationship between working memory updating and working memory capacity in preschool children. A sample of 176 preschoolers (36–74 months) was administered a working memory updating task (Magic House) along with three working memory capacity tests that specifically measure their core attentional component (M capacity, as defined in the theory of constructive operators): Backward Word Span, Mr. Cucumber, and Direction Following Task. Correlational analyses and cross-classification prediction analyses were performed. Updating and capacity were significantly correlated, although the correlations were not high when age was partialled out. Capacity increased with age, and mediated the relation between age and updating. More importantly, cross-classification prediction analysis revealed that high updating scores with low M capacity, and low updating scores with relatively high M capacity, are possible events; the only combination ruled out was a low updating score with precocious development of M capacity. These facts demonstrate that updating skills in preschoolers depends on M capacity but does not coincide with it. Therefore, in cognitive developmental theories, the constructs of working memory updating and capacity should be distinguished, and on practical grounds, different tests should be used to measure them.
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spelling pubmed-88839762022-03-01 On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers Panesi, Sabrina Bandettini, Alessia Traverso, Laura Morra, Sergio J Intell Article This study aims at investigating the relationship between working memory updating and working memory capacity in preschool children. A sample of 176 preschoolers (36–74 months) was administered a working memory updating task (Magic House) along with three working memory capacity tests that specifically measure their core attentional component (M capacity, as defined in the theory of constructive operators): Backward Word Span, Mr. Cucumber, and Direction Following Task. Correlational analyses and cross-classification prediction analyses were performed. Updating and capacity were significantly correlated, although the correlations were not high when age was partialled out. Capacity increased with age, and mediated the relation between age and updating. More importantly, cross-classification prediction analysis revealed that high updating scores with low M capacity, and low updating scores with relatively high M capacity, are possible events; the only combination ruled out was a low updating score with precocious development of M capacity. These facts demonstrate that updating skills in preschoolers depends on M capacity but does not coincide with it. Therefore, in cognitive developmental theories, the constructs of working memory updating and capacity should be distinguished, and on practical grounds, different tests should be used to measure them. MDPI 2022-01-21 /pmc/articles/PMC8883976/ /pubmed/35225921 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10010005 Text en © 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Panesi, Sabrina
Bandettini, Alessia
Traverso, Laura
Morra, Sergio
On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers
title On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers
title_full On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers
title_fullStr On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers
title_full_unstemmed On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers
title_short On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers
title_sort on the relation between the development of working memory updating and working memory capacity in preschoolers
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8883976/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35225921
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10010005
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