Research Article

Examining the Relative Contribution of Memory Updating, Attention Focus Switching, and Sustained Attention to Children’s Verbal Working Memory Span

Table 1

Summary of all experimental tasks, examined variables, and variables used in the model.

TaskExamined variables

Memory updating-attention focus switching

Auditory stimuliOverall accuracy (across all 30 trials)
Accuracy—high-frequency trials; low-frequency trials
Accuracy—high tones; low tones
Mean switch cost accuracy (difference in accuracy between high and low frequency trials)
Mean switch RT; mean non-switch RT
Mean switch cost RT (difference in RT between switch and non-switch presentations)
Visual stimuliOverall accuracy (across all 30 trials)
Accuracy—high-frequency trials; low-frequency trials
Accuracy—big squares; small squares
Mean switch cost accuracy (difference in accuracy between high and low frequency trials)
Mean switch RT; Mean non-switch RT
Mean switch cost RT (difference in RT between switch and non-switch presentations)
Variables used in the model Composite of scores of overall accuracy from the two tasks
Composite of scores of mean switch RT from two tasks
Composite of scores of switch cost accuracy from two tasks
Composite of scores of switch cost RT from two tasks

Sustained attention

Hit rate (child hits/45-total possible hits)
Gordon—auditory stimuliFalse alarm rate (child false alarms/495-total possible false alarms)
prime (difference between scores of hit and false alarm rates)
Hit rate (child hits/45-total possible hits)
Gordon—visual stimuliFalse alarm rate (child false alarms/495-total possible false alarms)
prime (difference between scores of hit and false alarm rates)
Variable used in the model Composite prime from auditory and visual prime indices

Verbal working memory

Listening spanTotal trials with accurate digit recall; Sentence comprehension accuracy and processing time
Counting spanTotal trials with accurate count recall
Variable used in the model Composite scores from recall scores on listening and counting span