Developmental associations between verbal and visual short-term memory and the acquisition of decoding skill

This study longitudinally investigated the relationships between verbaland visual short-term memory (STM) and the acquisition of decoding from thepre-reading through the early acquisition stages in 63 Hebrew-speakingchildren Test waves occurred in kindergarten, first grade and second grade.IQ, visual and verbal STM and decoding ability were assessed. The dataindicated that while both verbal and visual STM in kindergarten were significantlycorrelated to later decoding skill, pre-reading visual STM was a stronger predictor.The results further showed that pre-reading performance on the WISC-R BlockDesign test predicted later decoding ability, while performance on theWISC-R Vocabulary test did not. Lastly decoding skill in grade 1 was foundto predict only visual in grade 2. These results indicate that visualparameters may make a crucial contribution to the acquisition of decodingskills. The size of pre-reading visual STM capacity appears to play a rolein this process. The relationship between visual STM and decoding may bebidirectional, as learning to decode appears to develop visual STM. It issuggested that either language-related or task-related factors may accountfor these counter-to-mainstream results.     

The relationship between working memory and writing in younger and older adults

This study investigated therelationship between working-memory (WM) spanand writing performance in three age groups(mean of ages of 15, 30, 77 years). Asexpected, older adults' performance wasinferior to younger adults on measures ofverbal and visual-spatial WM and structuralcomplexity in writing. More important, WM spanmoderated structural complexity in writingacross age and those effects remainedsignificant when short-term memory, readingcomprehension, word knowledge, spelling andhandwriting speed were partialed from theanalysis. Overall, the results support thenotion that age-related changes in textgeneration are moderated by limitations in ageneral WM system.     

Strategy selection for cognitive skill acquisition depends on task demands and working memory capacity

The involvement of working memory capacity (WMC) in ruled-based cognitive skill acquisition is well-established, but the duration of its involvement and its role in learning strategy selection are less certain. Participants (N = 610) learned four logic rules, their corresponding symbols, or logic gates, and the appropriate input–output combinations in three-gate circuit patterns. Participants practiced 120 repetitions of each rule (480 total gates) over the course of 10 training blocks. Memory load varied between subjects. The confluence of task demands and individual differences in WMC (N = 518) dramatically affected speed–accuracy tradeoffs and strategic use of a computerized help function. Cluster analysis revealed five distinct groups of participants based on the combination of response accuracy, latency, and help use. Some groups with moderate to high mean WMC acquired the task with predictable performance patterns. Other groups, prevalently under a memory load and with low mean WMC, failed to learn or overused help.     

Inhibitory control and visuospatial working memory contribute to 5-year-old children's use of quantitative inversion

This study examined the hypothesis that general cognitive resources moderated 5-year-old children's performance differences between the Concrete Identical and the Pure Quantity conditions on inversion problems (a + b – b) but not on standard problems (a + b – c). Study 1 (N = 104) showed that children who experienced higher visuospatial working memory burden performed significantly poorer in solving the inversion problems in the Pure Quantity condition than in the Concrete Identical condition, whereas those who experienced lower working memory burden showed no such difference. Study 2 (N = 194) demonstrated that children with lower levels of inhibitory control solved significantly fewer inversion problems in the Pure Quantity condition than in the Concrete Identical condition, whereas no such difference was found in children with higher levels of inhibitory control. These findings suggest that inhibitory control and visuospatial working memory may support children's use of quantitative inversion.     

Phonological awareness,verbal working memory and the acquisition of literacy

This paper describes a 2-year longitudinal study of 76 initially prereading children. The study examined the relationships between phonological awareness (measured by tests of onset and rime, phonemic segmentation and phoneme deletion), verbal working memory and the development of reading and spelling. Factor analyses showed that the verbal working memory tests which were administered loaded on two distinct but highly related factors, the first of which,simple repetition, involved the repetition of verbal items exactly as spoken by the experimenter, whereas the second,backwards repetition, involved repetition of items in reverse order. Factor analyses also showed that, whist the phonological awareness variables consistently loaded on the backwards repetition factor at the beginning and end of Grade 1, by Grade 2 the phonological awareness variables loaded on a separate factor which also included sentence repetition. Results of multiple regression analyses, with reading and spelling as a compound criterion variable, indicated that phonological awareness consistently predicted later reading and spelling even when both simple and backwards repetition were controlled. In contrast, verbal working memory did not consistently predict reading and spelling across testing times. Whilst there was some indication that verbal working memory, especially backwards repetition, measured during Grade 1 did predict reading and spelling in Grade 2, these effects were no longer evident when all three phonological variables were controlled. Nevertheless, with 4 individual reading and 2 individual spelling measures as the criterion variables, it was shown that phonological awareness was not quite such a consistent predictor of reading and spelling: it was most highly related to reading pseudowords and spelling real words; but it was not so highly related to spelling pseudowords, apparently because the processing demands of the task for the young children in the study were extremely high. Given the importance of verbal working memory for the completion of phonological awareness, reading and spelling tasks, in particular for spelling pseudowords, the findings are interpreted as providing some support for a theoretical position which posits that both phonological awareness and verbal working memory contribute to the early stages of literacy acquisition. Whilst the findings suggest some support for a general underlying phonological ability, there is also evidence that, as children learn to read and write, verbal working memory and phonological awareness become more differentiated.     

Distinctive patterns of relationship of phonological awareness and working memory with reading development

The purpose of this study was to assess the contributions of specific components of verbal and nonverbal working memory and of phonological awareness to the prediction of reading achievement. One hundred and three children from grades 1, 2, and 3 were administered a measure of phonological awareness, four measures of working memory, four measures of academic achievement, and a measure of verbal intelligence. Separate multiple regression analyses controlling for the effects of age, sex and verbal intelligence showed that tests of verbal memory and of direct recall significantly predicted reading and spelling achievement whereas tests of backward recall significantly predicted only pseudoword identification. Phonological awareness was also found to relate significantly to reading and spelling achievement even when working memory was partialled out. Thus, phonological awareness and measures of working memory predicted specific and significant amounts of variance in reading and spelling achievement. Further, none of these measures were specifically related to arithmetic achievement. The specific roles of phonological awareness and working memory in reading development are examined in the discussion.     

Short-term memory and working memory in children as a function of language-specific knowledge in English and Spanish

This study determined the degree to which the phonological and executive components of memory reflect language-specific capacities in Spanish and English vocabulary. We tested whether the memory processes in a sample of English language learners found in Grade 1 also emerged in Grade 2. For the total sample (N = 90), Grade 1 English STM measures shared a common construct with Spanish STM, whereas Grade 2 STM measures were language dependent. In contrast, WM measures were language independent across grades 1 and 2. When vocabulary subgroups were analyzed, a subgroup × type of memory task emerged. The results showed that performance on Spanish and English STM tasks were a function of high and low Spanish and English vocabulary knowledge, whereas WM was not. The relationship between language-specific processes in memory was discussed.     

Alpha spectral power and coherence in the patients with mild cognitive impairment during a three-level working memory task

Objective: The functional relationship between calculated alpha band spectral power and inter-/intra-hemispheric coherence during a three-level working memory task of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was investigated. Methods: Subjects included 35 MCI patients according to the DSM-IV criteria (mean age: 62.3, SD: 6.5) and 34 healthy controls (mean age: 57.4, SD: 4.0) were selected from the community at large. All subjects performed a simple calculation and recall task with three levels of working memory load while electroencephalograph (EEG) signal was recorded. The spectral EEG power was computed over alpha1 (8.0～10.0 Hz) and alpha2 (10.5～13.0 Hz) frequency bands and was compared between rest stage and working memory processing stage by two-way ANOVA. Post hoc testing analyzed the differences between each two levels of working memory load during task processing. The inter-hemisphere EEG coherence of frontal (F3-F4), central (C3-C4), parietal (P3-P4), temporal (T5-T6) as well as occipital (O1-O2) was compared between MCI patients and normal controls. The EEG signals from F3-C3, F4-C4, C3-P3, C4-P4, P3-O1, P4-O2, T5-C3, T6-C4, T5-P3 and T6-P4 electrode pairs resulted from the intra-hemispheric action for alpha1 and alpha2 frequency bands. Result: There was significantly higher EEG power from MCI patients than from normal controls both at rest and during working memory processing. Significant differences existed between rest condition and three-level working memory tasks (P<0.001). The inter-and intra-hemispheric coherence during working memory tasks showed a "drop to rise" tendency compared to that at rest condition. There was significantly higher coherence in MCI patients than in the controls. When task difficulties increased, the cortical connectivity of intra-hemispheric diminished while the inter-hemispheric connectivity dominantly maintained the cognitive processing in MCI patients. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that the alpha frequency band may be the characteristic band in distinguishing MCI patients from normal controls during working memory tasks. MCI patients exhibit greater inter-hemispheric connectivity than intra-hemispheric connectivity when memory demands increase. MCI patients mobilize a compensatory mechanism to maintain the processing effectiveness while the processing efficiency is reduced.     

Phonological working memory, phonological awareness and language in literacy difficulties in Brazilian children

One of the most usual flaws that lead to literacy disability regards cognitive difficulties and alterations some children present in the literacy process. Many studies have found alterations in phonological processing, more specifically in phonological working memory (PWM) and phonological awareness (PA). Therefore, our aim was to identify alterations in skills of phonological working memory, phonological awareness and language (semantic, syntactic and phonological aspects) of Brazilian children with literacy disabilities (age 7–8). They were divided into two groups: (1) Group of Normal Literacy (NL); and (2) Group With Literacy Disabilities (LD). The evaluation comprised tests that assessed general cognitive functions and the skills at stake. The LD presented a poorer performance than the NL in the skills of PWM, PA and language aspects. The factor analysis showed that these skills prevailed in differentiating the groups. Thus, children with literacy disabilities presented deficits in phonological processing and language. These deficits seem to be a result of alterations of the phonological representations and poor language skills that are prior to the literacy period. Consequently, we believe that the early identification of these alterations can be very useful for the prevention of future literacy problems.     

The relationship between math anxiety and math achievement in young children is mediated through working memory,not by number sense,and it is not direct

Math anxiety is considered a predictor of math achievement, although the cognitive mechanism whereby math anxiety impairs math achievement is unclear. The paper presents the results of cross-sectional (N = 241) and longitudinal (N = 369) studies conducted among early school-aged children on the cognitive mechanism whereby math anxiety impairs math achievement. The following hypotheses were tested: (1) math anxiety directly affects math achievement; (2) in accordance with processing efficiency and attentional cognitive theories, math anxiety indirectly affects math achievement through working memory; (3) in accordance with the cognitive deficit model, math anxiety indirectly affects math achievement through number sense. The results mostly confirm the mediating role of working memory and undermine the mediating role of number sense and the direct path in the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement. Because previous studies undertaken in adults show the direct path from math anxiety to math achievement and the role of symbolic number processing in explaining the relationship between the two, the methodological and developmental aspects of the obtained results are discussed in the paper.     

Mathematics anxiety and working memory: Longitudinal associations with mathematical performance in Chinese children

The link between mathematics anxiety and mathematical performance in young children remains inconclusive. The present study examined the longitudinal associations between mathematics anxiety and mathematical performance (calculation and story problem solving) in 246 Chinese children followed from second to third grade. Multiple regression analyses showed that mathematics anxiety made independent contributions to mathematical performance beyond non-verbal intelligence, working memory, number skills, general and test anxieties. However, mathematics anxiety does not affect all children and all kinds of mathematical performance equally. Mathematics anxiety has a more pronounced impact on mathematical problems that require more processing resources, as opposed to simple arithmetic problems and straightforward story problems and children who are higher in working memory are more vulnerable to its deleterious impacts.     

Four and twenty blackbirds: how transcoding ability mediates the relationship between visuospatial working memory and math in a language with inversion

Writing down spoken number words (transcoding) is an ability that is predictive of math performance and related to working memory ability. We analysed these relationships in a large sample of over 25,000 children, from kindergarten to the end of primary school, who solved transcoding items with a computer adaptive system. Furthermore, we investigated the nature of transcoding difficulty of over 300 two- and three-digit numbers. All data come from a Dutch sample, meaning that transcoding is complicated by decade-unit inversion: 24 is pronounced as ‘four-and-twenty’. Omission to invert the digits of a spoken number when writing it down is an inversion error: the incidence of these declined but did not disappear in later elementary school. Furthermore, transcoding ability mediated the relationship between visuospatial working memory and mathematics performance, a strong effect that declined with age. Inversion error making mediated this same relationship in an inverted U-shaped curve, peaking around grade 2 (8 years old). At the item level, structural characteristics related to inversion and irregular pronunciation of units and decades explained a large part of the variance in item difficulty. We conclude that number transcoding is an important ability to develop mathematical proficiency and discuss the implications of these findings.     

论言语交际与社会生活的关系

言语交际是加强精神文明建设的基础和保证 ,是建立人际关系的通途与桥梁 ,在社会生活中起着重要作用。要建立祥和、真诚的人际关系 ,要推动社会主义精神文明建设的深入发展 ,我们每个公民就应该都讲究言语艺术 ,讲究言语之美。     

Inter-and intra-hemispheric EEG coherence in patients with mild cognitive impairment at rest and during working memory task

Objective： To assess functional relationship by calculating inter- and intra-hemispheric electroencephalography （EEG） coherence at rest and during a working memory task of patients with mild cognitive impairment （MCI）. Methods： The sample consisted of 69 subjects： 35 patients （n = 17 males, n = 18 females; 52-71 years old） and 34 normal controls （n = 17 males, n = 17 females; 51 -63 years old）. Mini-mental state examination （MMSE） of two groups revealed that the scores of MCI patients did not differ significantly from those of normal controls （P〉0.05）. In EEG recording, subjects were performed at rest and during working memory task. EEG signals from F3-F4, C3-C4, P3-P4, T5-T6 and O1-O2 electrode pairs are resulted from the inter-hemispheric action, and EEG signals from F3-C3, F4-C4, C3-P3, C4-P4, P3-O1, P4-O2, T5-C3, T6-C4, T5-P3 and T6-P4 electrode pairs are resulted from the intra-hemispheric action for delta （1.0-3.5 Hz）, theta （4.0-7.5 Hz）, alpha-1 （8.0-10.0 Hz）, alpha-2 （10.5-13.0 Hz）, beta-1 （13.5-18.0 Hz） and beta-2 （18.5-30.0 Hz） frequency bands. The influence of inter- and intra-hemispheric coherence on EEG activity with eyes closed was examined using fast Fourier transformation from the 16 sampled channels. Results： During working memory tasks, the inter- and intra-hemispheric EEG coherences in all bands were significantly higher in the MCI group in comparison with those in the control group （P〈0.05）. However, there was no significant difference in inter- and intra-hemispheric EEG coherences between two groups at rest. Conclusion： Experimental results comprise evidence that MCI patients have higher degree of functional connectivity between hemispheres and in hemispheres during working condition, It suggests that MCI may be associated with compensatory processes during working memory tasks between hemispheres and in hemispheres. Moreover, failure of normal cortical connections may exist in MCI patients.     

Study on EEG power and coherence in patients with mild cognitive impairment during working memory task

To investigate the features of electroencephalography (EEG) power and coherence at rest and during a working memory task of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Thirty-five patients (17 males, 18 females; 52～71 years old) and 34 sex- and age-matched controls (17 males, 17 females; 51～63 years old) were recruited in the present study. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) of 35 patients with MCI and 34 normal controls revealed that the scores of MCI patients did not differ significantly from those of normal controls (P＞0.05). Then, EEGs at rest and during working memory task with three levels of working memory load were recorded. The EEG power was computed over 10 channels: right and left frontal (F3, F4), central (C3,C4), parietal (P3, P4), temporal (TS, T6) and occipital (O1, O2); inter-hemispheric coherences were computed from five electrode pairs of F3-F4, C3-C4, P3-P4, T5-T6 and O1-O2 for delta (1.0～3.5 Hz), theta (4.0～7.5 Hz), alpha-1 (8.0～10.0 Hz), alpha-2 (10.5～13.0 Hz), beta-1 (13.5～18.0 Hz) and beta-2 (18.5～30.0 Hz) frequency bands. All values of the EEG power of MCI patients were found to be higher than those of normal controls at rest and during working memory tasks. Furthermore, the values of EEG power in the theta, alpha-1, alpha-2 and beta-1 bands of patients with MCI were significantly high (P＜0.05) in comparison with those of normal controls. Correlation analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between the EEG powers and MMSE scores. In addition, during working memory tasks, the EEG coherences in all bands were significantly higher in the MCI group in comparison with those in the control group (P＜0.05). However, there was no significant difference in EEG coherences between two groups at rest. These findings comprise evidence that MCI patients have higher EEG power at rest, and higher EEG power and coherence during working conditions. It suggests that MCI may be associated with compensatory processes at rest and during working memory tasks. Moreover, failure of normal cortical connections may be exist in MCI patients.     

Reasoning and working memory as predictors of school grades

The present paper contributes to individual difference research in the field of working memory (WM) and reasoning and their contribution to the prediction of real-life criteria. Therefore, a broad WM test battery, a well-established measure of reasoning, and school grades were applied. It is argued that abilities as assessed with the WM component coordination are relevant for good performances at school, especially for science courses. The verbal task of the WM component storage in the context of processing was assumed to be relevant for the prediction of performance in language courses. As expected, reasoning turned out to be the best predictor of school grades. However, it was also confirmed that variance shared by coordination and reasoning can explain school performance, especially as concerns science courses. The verbal storage in the context of processing task significantly accounted for variance in language courses above and beyond reasoning. Thus, the present study provided further insights into the differential validity of different WM components.     

The interaction of vocabulary and short-term memory in predicting phonological awareness: a comparison of dyslexic and non-dyslexic children

Using data from a longitudinal comparative study of children at risk of dyslexia ( Snowling, Gallagher & Frith, 2003 ), this paper reports some replication of work by Gibbs (2004) . It was found that the development of phonological awareness might, for children between the ages of 6 and 8 years of age and not considered to be at risk of dyslexia, be facilitated by an interaction of memory span and lexical knowledge. This effect was not, however, found for children of the same age who were considered to be at risk of dyslexia. For these children an interaction, with contrasting implications, was found between the ages of 3 years 9 months and 6 years. Some theoretical and practical implications of these findings are outlined.     

建筑工程施工工序的质量控制

加强建筑工程管理,完善施工质量体系是发展建筑业,促进国民经济增长的保证,抓好“质量通病”控制,创建优质工程是决定建筑产品好坏的关键,本文就建筑工程施工工序的质量控制问题进行了探讨。