The Development of Visual Working Memory Capacity during Early Childhood

Autor/in	Simmering, Vanessa R.
Titel	The Development of Visual Working Memory Capacity during Early Childhood
Quelle	In: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 111 (2012) 4, S.695-707 (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-0965
DOI	10.1016/j.jecp.2011.10.007
Schlagwörter	Evidence; Infants; Program Effectiveness; Short Term Memory; Task Analysis; Young Children; Visual Stimuli; Cognitive Development; Child Development; Age Differences; Adults; Experimental Psychology; Child Psychology + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Evidenz; Infant; Toddler; Toddlers; Kleinkind; Kurzzeitgedächtnis; Aufgabenanalyse; Frühe Kindheit; Kognitive Entwicklung; Kindesentwicklung; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Experimentelle Psychologie; Kinderpsychologie
Abstract	The change detection task has been used in dozens of studies with adults to measure visual working memory capacity. Two studies have recently tested children in this task, suggesting a gradual increase in capacity from 5 years to adulthood. These results contrast with findings from an infant looking paradigm suggesting that capacity reaches adult-like levels within the first year. The current study adapted the change detection task for use with children younger than 5 years to test whether the standard version of the task was too difficult and may have underestimated children's capacity. Results showed that 3- and 4-year-olds could successfully complete this modified task and that capacity increased roughly linearly, from 2 or 3 items during this period to 3 or 4 items between 5 and 7 years. Furthermore, performance did not differ significantly between the modified version and a replication of the standard version with 5- and 7-year-olds. Thus, there is no evidence that previous research with the change detection task underestimated children's capacity. Further research is needed to understand how performance relates across the infant looking task and change detection to provide a more complete picture of visual working memory capacity over development. (Contains 4 figures.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10