Dengler 1 Running Head: DENGLER The Development of Working Memory Capacity in Children Emily Dengler Thesis Advisor: Dr. Kara Bopp Department of Psychology Wofford College April 17, 2009 Submitted for partial fulfillment for the Bachelor of Science Degree for the Psychology major at Wofford College. April 17, 2009 Dengler 2 Abstract Research examining the lifespan development of working memory has found that working memory capacity increases during childhood and adolescence. The underlying mechanisms of changes in capacity are still under investigation. The current paper explores some of the theories that seek to explain the developmental changes in working memory capacity. These theories include improvements in general capacity, subcomponent development, resource sharing, task switching, and interference effects. Increased working memory capacity is a result of the enhancement of factors that improve capacity and the suppression of factors that inhibit capacity. The close relationship between capacity and academic achievement in young children suggests that working memory is an important factor that underlies the development of other cognitive skills. Dengler 3 The Development of Working Memory Capacity in Children The Structure of Working Memory 1. Definition of working memory a. Conway et al., 2007; Towse & Hitch, 2007; Hutton & Towse, 2001; Berch, 2008; Baddeley&Hitch (1974) (Baddeley, 2003; Logie & Pearson, 1997) 2. Memory Tasks a. Gathercole & Pickering, 2000; Pickering, 2001; Towse & Hitch, 2007; Case, Kurland, & Goldberg, 1982; Daneman & Carpenter, 1980; Turner & Engle, 1989; Jenkins, Myerson, Hale, & Fry, 1999 3. Theories of Working Memory Development a. Hale, Myerson, Emery, Lawrence, & DuFault, 2007; Cowan, 1997 b. Increases in WM capacity i. Riggs, McTaggart, Simpson, & Freeman, 2006; Swanson, 1996; Baddeley, 2003; Fastenau, Conant, & Lauer, 1998; Gathercole, Pickering, Ambridge, & Wearing, 2004; Logie & Pearson, 1997; Pickering, 2001; Palmer, 2000; Klingberg, Forssberg, & Westerberg, 2002; Gathercole & Pickering, 2000; Gathercole, Pickering, Knight, & Steggman, 2003; Hitch, Towse, & Hutton, 2001; Seigneruic, Ehrlich, Oakhill, Yuill, 2000 c. Limitations to WM Capacity i. Bayliss, Jarrold, Baddeley, Gunn, & Leigh, 2005; Towse & Hitch, Conlin, Gathercole, & Adams, 2005; Hitch, Towse, & Hutton, 2001; Hutton & Towse, 2001; Towse & Hitch, 1995; Towse & Hitch, 2007; Towse, Hitch, & Hutton, 1998; Swanson, 1996; Jenkins, Myerson, Hale, & Fry, 1999). 4. Working Memory and Academic Achievement a. Gathercole & Pickering, 2000; Baddeley, 2003; Hitch, Towse, & Hutton, 2001; Seigneruic, Ehrlich, Oakhill, & Yuill, 2000; Gathercole, Pickering, Knight, and Steggman (2004), Dengler 4 The Development of Working Memory Capacity in Children The Structure of Working Memory 1. Definition of working memory (Conway et al., 2007; Towse & Hitch, 2007; Hutton & Towse, 2001) and argument about definitions (Berch, 2008). a. Models of WM i. Baddeley&Hitch (1974) (Baddeley, 2003; Logie & Pearson, 1997) b. Thesis: How and why working memory capacity changes with age i. While it is well known that capacity is limited, there is little agreement regarding the reason for limitations (Berch, 2008). 2. Memory Tasks a. Simple span tasks (Gathercole & Pickering, 2000; Pickering, 2001). b. Complex span (Towse & Hitch, 2007; Case, Kurland, & Goldberg, 1982; Daneman & Carpenter, 1980; Turner & Engle, 1989; Jenkins, Myerson, Hale, & Fry, 1999) 3. Theories of Working Memory Development - Working memory capacity must progressively develop (Hale, Myerson, Emery, Lawrence, & DuFault, 2007; Cowan, 1997). a. Increases in WM capacity i. General capacity (Riggs, McTaggart, Simpson, & Freeman, 2006; Swanson, 1996) ii. Subcomponent development (Riggs et al., 2006; Swanson, 1996; Baddeley, 2003; Fastenau, Conant, & Lauer, 1998; Gathercole, Pickering, Ambridge, & Wearing, 2004 1. Visuo-spatial sketchpad (Logie & Pearson, 1997; Pickering, 2001; Palmer, 2000; Klingberg, Forssberg, & Westerberg, 2002 2. Phonological loop (Gathercole & Pickering, 2000; Gathercole, Pickering, Knight, & Steggman, 2003; Hitch, Towse, & Hutton, 2001; Seigneruic, Ehrlich, Oakhill, Yuill, 2000) iii. Organization of WM (Gathercole, Pickering, Ambridge, & Wearing, 2004) iv. WM strategies (Palmer, 2000). b. Limitations to WM Capacity i. Resource Sharing (Bayliss, Jarrold, Baddeley, Gunn, & Leigh, 2005; Towse & Hitch, 2007). ii. Task Switching (Conlin, Gathercole, & Adams, 2005; Hitch, Towse, & Hutton, 2001; Hutton & Towse, 2001; Towse & Hitch, 1995; Towse & Hitch, 2007; Towse, Hitch, & Hutton, 1998). iii. Interference (Swanson, 1996) (Jenkins, Myerson, Hale, & Fry, 1999). 4. Working Memory and Academic Achievement (Gathercole & Pickering, 2000; Baddeley, 2003; Hitch, Towse, & Hutton, 2001; Seigneruic, Ehrlich, Oakhill, & Yuill, 2000; Gathercole, Pickering, Knight, and Steggman (2004 a. Verbal b. Visuospatial Dengler 5 References Alp, I.E. (1994). Measuring the size of working memory in very young children: The Imitation Sorting Task. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 17 (1), 125141. Baddeley, A.D. (2003). Working memory and language: an overview. Journal of Communication Disorders, 36, 189-208. Baddeley, A.D., & Hitch, G.J. (1974). Working memory. In G.A. Bower (Ed.), Recent advances in learning and motivation (Vol. 8, pp. 47-90). New York: Academic Press. 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