Memory,IQ and Examination Performance

ABSTRACT Two studies explored individual differences in general memory ability and their relation to performance in a public examination taken at age 15‐16 years in England and Wales. Five memory tasks were used to test both immediate memory and retention a week later. Rank orders of performance across the memory tasks, with IQ partialled out, were found to be significantly related, suggesting some general process. Separate indices of general memory ability for the immediate and delayed tests were highly correlated with each other and also with self‐ratings of memory ability. Multiple regression revealed that self‐rating of memory ability was the only significant independent predictor of examination performance. The results suggest that individual differences in memory ability account for between 10 and 20% of the variance in performance in this examination in groups of above‐average IQ. Possible reasons for the importance of memory in this context and implications for instructional methods are discussed.