The successful use of a search strategy improves with visuospatial working memory in 2- to 4.5-year-olds
Bobrowicz, Katarzyna LU
; Weber, Anke
and Greiff, Samuel
(2024)
In Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
238.
- Abstract
Using spatial cues such as shape, orientation, and pattern aids visuospatial working memory because it allows strategies that reduce the load on this cognitive resource. One such strategy, namely taking advantage of patterned spatial distributions, remains understudied to date. This strategy demands keeping track of already-searched locations and excluding them from further search and so correlates with visuospatial working memory. The use of such strategies should, in principle, develop in early childhood, but because most studies focus on chunking, the development of other strategies reducing the load on working memory is understudied in young children. Therefore, in this study we tested whether children aged 2 to 4.5 years (N = 97)... (More)
Using spatial cues such as shape, orientation, and pattern aids visuospatial working memory because it allows strategies that reduce the load on this cognitive resource. One such strategy, namely taking advantage of patterned spatial distributions, remains understudied to date. This strategy demands keeping track of already-searched locations and excluding them from further search and so correlates with visuospatial working memory. The use of such strategies should, in principle, develop in early childhood, but because most studies focus on chunking, the development of other strategies reducing the load on working memory is understudied in young children. Therefore, in this study we tested whether children aged 2 to 4.5 years (N = 97) could take advantage of spatial cues in their search and whether this ability correlated with their age, verbal ability, and visuospatial working memory. The results showed that the ability to use a patterned spatial distribution (searching a row of locations from one side to the other instead of a random search) significantly improved with visuospatial working memory but not with age or verbal ability. These results suggest that visuospatial abilities may rapidly develop from 2 to 4.5 years of age, and given their impact on later mathematic achievement, demand increased attention in cognitive developmental research and early childhood education.
(Less)
- author
- Bobrowicz, Katarzyna
LU
; Weber, Anke
and Greiff, Samuel
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-02
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Preschool, Strategy, Toddlerhood, Verbal ability, Visuospatial skills, Working memory
- in
- Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
- volume
- 238
- article number
- 105786
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37820541
- scopus:85173233779
- ISSN
- 0022-0965
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105786
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5dc63c23-9492-409c-9eb8-ba68909ee025
- date added to LUP
- 2023-12-05 14:39:25
- date last changed
- 2024-04-18 10:20:07
@article{5dc63c23-9492-409c-9eb8-ba68909ee025,
abstract = {{<p>Using spatial cues such as shape, orientation, and pattern aids visuospatial working memory because it allows strategies that reduce the load on this cognitive resource. One such strategy, namely taking advantage of patterned spatial distributions, remains understudied to date. This strategy demands keeping track of already-searched locations and excluding them from further search and so correlates with visuospatial working memory. The use of such strategies should, in principle, develop in early childhood, but because most studies focus on chunking, the development of other strategies reducing the load on working memory is understudied in young children. Therefore, in this study we tested whether children aged 2 to 4.5 years (N = 97) could take advantage of spatial cues in their search and whether this ability correlated with their age, verbal ability, and visuospatial working memory. The results showed that the ability to use a patterned spatial distribution (searching a row of locations from one side to the other instead of a random search) significantly improved with visuospatial working memory but not with age or verbal ability. These results suggest that visuospatial abilities may rapidly develop from 2 to 4.5 years of age, and given their impact on later mathematic achievement, demand increased attention in cognitive developmental research and early childhood education.</p>}},
author = {{Bobrowicz, Katarzyna and Weber, Anke and Greiff, Samuel}},
issn = {{0022-0965}},
keywords = {{Preschool; Strategy; Toddlerhood; Verbal ability; Visuospatial skills; Working memory}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Journal of Experimental Child Psychology}},
title = {{The successful use of a search strategy improves with visuospatial working memory in 2- to 4.5-year-olds}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105786}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105786}},
volume = {{238}},
year = {{2024}},
}