To investigate the development of the phonological loop in children between the ages of 5 and 17 years using digit span as a measure of phonological capacity
Compare the findings to their previous research of adults,dementia patients and Spanish Speakers (this is because the digit span may be affected by word length)
Investigate the phonological loop within short-term and working memory in terms of the storage of verbal information and sub-vocal rehearsal like 'Chunking'
1 of 4
Procedure Of The Study
A sample of 570 volunteer participants as taken form schools in Madrid
All participants were native Spanish and impairments in hearing,reading and writing ability were controlled
Participants were divided into 5 different age groups and the average digit span was recorded for each age group
Tested individually, participants were read increasing sequences of digits to recall in the correct order. The digits were read out at a rate of one per second and the digit list increased one digit per sequence
The digit span for participants was recorded as the maximum digit recalled in the correct order without error
Primary data was gathered from this sample
Secondary data was gathered from their study in 2010 using 25 healthy older people (control group), 25 with Alzheimer's disease and 9 with fronto-temporal dementia.
2 of 4
Conclusions Of The Study
Digit span was found to increase with age; the starting point of this development occurs when children are able to sub-vocalise at around 7 years old
Digit span in the Spanish population is significantly shorter than Anglo-Saxon culture, probably due to the word length effect associated with digits
Comparing the findings to research into patients with degenerative neurological disease and the aged population, it is possible to speculate from this research that poor digit span is as a result of ageing rather than dementias.
3 of 4
Comparing the findings to previous research
Consistent with Anglo-Saxon research, this investigation showed a continued increase in digit span over time in the Spanish population.
However, the overall capacity of digit span was far lower in the Spanish population compared to the digit span of 7 found in Anglo-Saxon studies.
This decrease in phonological capacity could be accounted for by the nature of the Spanish Language. Digits in Spanish tend to be 2 or more syllables (e.g uno, cuatro) compared to the monosyllabic Anglo-Saxon numerals (e.g one, two ,three)
This word (or digit) length effect means that it takes more time to sub-vocally repeat and rehearse Spanish words, taking up more space in the phonological loop, resulting in lower digit span.
To further support the word length effect as an explanation for the difference in digit span, differences at each stage was examined. As sub-vocal rehearsal does not appear until the age of 7-8 years, there should be no difference in digit span as a result of word length effect until after this stage
This was found to be true as before the age of 7 years the differences between Spanish and Anglo-Saxon counterparts were not found.
Comments
No comments have yet been made