Complex working memory span tasks and higher-order cognition: A latent-variable analysis of the relationship between processing and storage

Authors: Unsworth, Nash¹; Redick, Thomas²; Heitz, Richard³; Broadway, James²; Engle, Randall²

Source: Memory, Volume 17, Number 6, August 2009 , pp. 635-654(20)

Publisher: Psychology Press, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Complex span tasks, assumed by many to measure an individual's working memory capacity, are predictive of several aspects of higher-order cognition. However, the underlying cause of the relationships between “processing-and-storage” tasks and cognitive abilities is still hotly debated nearly 30 years after the tasks were first introduced. The current study utilised latent constructs across verbal, numerical, and spatial content domains to examine a number of questions regarding the predictive power of complex span tasks. In particular, the relations among processing time, processing accuracy, and storage accuracy from the complex span tasks were examined, in combination with their respective relationships with fluid intelligence. The results point to a complicated pattern of unique and shared variance among the constructs. Implications for various theories of working memory are discussed.

Keywords: Working memory; Complex span; Fluid intelligence

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09658210902998047

Affiliations: 1: University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA 2: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA 3: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

Publication date: 2009-08-01

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