TY - JOUR
T1 - Working memory deficit in children with mathematical difficulties
T2 - A general or specific deficit?
AU - Andersson, Ulf
AU - Lyxell, Björn
PY - 2007/3
Y1 - 2007/3
N2 - This study examined whether children with mathematical difficulties (MDs) or comorbid mathematical and reading difficulties have a working memory deficit and whether the hypothesized working memory deficit includes the whole working memory system or only specific components. In the study, 31 10-year-olds with MDs and 37 10-year-olds with both mathematical and reading difficulties were compared with 47 age-matched and 50 younger controls (9-year-olds) on a number of working memory tasks. Compared with the age-matched controls, both groups of children with MDs performed worse on tasks tapping the central executive (e.g., visual matrix span) and the phonological loop (e.g., word span). More important, the MD group performed worse than the younger controls on the counting span task, whereas the group with comorbid mathematical and reading difficulties performed worse on the counting span task and the visual matrix span task. These findings provide support for the assumption that children with MDs have a working memory deficit. More specifically, children with MDs have a central executive deficit connected to concurrent processing and storage of numerical and visual information.
AB - This study examined whether children with mathematical difficulties (MDs) or comorbid mathematical and reading difficulties have a working memory deficit and whether the hypothesized working memory deficit includes the whole working memory system or only specific components. In the study, 31 10-year-olds with MDs and 37 10-year-olds with both mathematical and reading difficulties were compared with 47 age-matched and 50 younger controls (9-year-olds) on a number of working memory tasks. Compared with the age-matched controls, both groups of children with MDs performed worse on tasks tapping the central executive (e.g., visual matrix span) and the phonological loop (e.g., word span). More important, the MD group performed worse than the younger controls on the counting span task, whereas the group with comorbid mathematical and reading difficulties performed worse on the counting span task and the visual matrix span task. These findings provide support for the assumption that children with MDs have a working memory deficit. More specifically, children with MDs have a central executive deficit connected to concurrent processing and storage of numerical and visual information.
KW - Central executive
KW - Mathematical difficulties
KW - Phonological loop
KW - Short-term memory
KW - Visuospatial sketchpad
KW - Working memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33847162788&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jecp.2006.10.001
DO - 10.1016/j.jecp.2006.10.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 17118398
AN - SCOPUS:33847162788
SN - 0022-0965
VL - 96
SP - 197
EP - 228
JO - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
JF - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
IS - 3
ER -