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Neurodevelopment Assessment Unit

Memory

Memory
A memory assessment taking place at the Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS).

Memory assessments are carried out using two methods: verbal working memory and visuospatial working memory.

Verbal working memory

Verbal working memory refers to the capacity to store and manipulate verbal information for brief periods of time.

The importance of verbal working memory

Working memory provides a mental workspace that is important to many activities in day to day life. Working memory is not strongly influenced by the child’s prior experiences (e.g. pre-school education) and is an indicator of a child’s learning potential.

Measuring verbal working memory

We measure visuospatial working memory using the Backwards Digit Recall task from the Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA). In the Backwards Digit Recall task, the child hears a sequence of digits and attempts to recall each sequence in backwards order. The numbers are read aloud to the child. For example, if the child heard the number sequence ‘3, 9, 2’ a correct backwards answer would be ‘2, 9, 3’. The length of this number sequence will increase throughout the task, increasing the demand on verbal working memory.

Visuospatial working memory

Visuospatial working memory refers to the capacity to store and manipulate images and information about locations for brief periods of time.

The importance of visuospatial working memory

Working memory provides a mental workspace that is important to many activities in day to day life. Working memory is not strongly influenced by the child’s prior experiences (e.g. pre-school education) and an indicator of a child’s learning potential.

Measuring visuospatial working memory

We measure visuospatial working memory using the Mister X task from the Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA). In the Mister X task, the child views a picture of two Mister X figures. The child is asked to identify whether the two Mister X’s are holding the ball in the ‘same’ or ‘different’ hand. They are then asked to recall the location of the ball that Mister X with the blue hat was holding. The number of Mister X pairs increases throughout the task, increasing the demand on visuospatial working memory.