Improving working memory in children with low language abilities

Holmes, Joni ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6821-2793, Butterfield, Sally, Cormack, Francesca, van Loenhoud, Anita, Ruggero, Leanne, Kashikar, Linda and Gathercole, Susan (2015) Improving working memory in children with low language abilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. ISSN 1664-1078

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Abstract

This study investigated whether working memory training is effective in enhancing verbal memory in children with low language abilities (LLA). Cogmed Working Memory Training was completed by a community sample of children aged 8–11 years with LLA and a comparison group with matched non-verbal abilities and age-typical language performance. Short-term memory (STM), working memory, language, and IQ were assessed before and after training. Significant and equivalent post-training gains were found in visuo-spatial short-term memory in both groups. Exploratory analyses across the sample established that low verbal IQ scores were strongly and highly specifically associated with greater gains in verbal STM, and that children with higher verbal IQs made greater gains in visuo-spatial short-term memory following training. This provides preliminary evidence that intensive working memory training may be effective for enhancing the weakest aspects of STM in children with low verbal abilities, and may also be of value in developing compensatory strategies.

Item Type: Article
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Developmental Science
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 20 Oct 2021 03:29
Last Modified: 23 Oct 2022 03:09
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/81801
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00519

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