Background to the project
We use working memory to hold information in mind for brief periods of time, and to mentally process it. It enables us to carry out mentally demanding activities such as mental arithmetic and following instructions. Problems with working memory could therefore cause difficulties for children’s learning and progress at school. However, working memory problems have not so far been widely recognised in schools as a cause of learning difficulties.
In this project, the first large-scale study of children with working memory problems in mainstream schooling was conducted. The aims were to provide routine methods for teachers to identify such children through their behaviour and classroom performance, and to investigate ways of helping them learn effectively. The study, in which over 300 primary-school children took part, established a standard test for working memory problems and demonstrated an effective system for boosting working memory and learning.
Key points
Working memory problems are linked to poor academic progress and inattentiveness
- A total of 308 children age 4 to 5 or 8 to 9 with poor working memory (identified by scoring on two working memory tests) were identified, but no major sensory or emotional problems. Assessments of these children revealed that they had difficulty in remembering visual patterns and movements, as well as verbal material such as words and sentences.
- The children generally made poor academic progress. They were often unable to carry out classroom activities that required holding material in memory. Two-thirds were performing below the level expected for their age in reading and mathematics. In the older age group, there was a high level of educational under-achievement. The children were also judged by teachers to be inattentive and easily distracted.
Alloway, T. P., Gathercole, S. E., Kirkwood, H., & Elliott, J. (2009). The cognitive and behavioural characteristics of children with low working memory. Child Development, 80, 606-621. copy.
Gathercole, S. E., Alloway, T. P., Kirkwood, H. J., Elliott, J. G., Holmes, J., & Hilton, K. A. (2008). Attentional and executive function behaviours of children with poor working memory. Learning and Individual Differences, 18, 214-223. copy.
A computer-based training system successfully boosted working memory ability
- To help with these difficulties, a classroom-based approach was developed with the aim of reducing working memory overload through teacher and child strategies, and the adaptation of curriculum materials.They trained and monitored teachers using the strategy, and compared the results to two more standard methods (focusing on areas of poor learning, normal classroom support). Although children in the working memory strategy group made no more progress that those in the other two groups, the pupils whose teachers implemented the strategies most effectively made most progress.
Gathercole, S. E. & Alloway, T. P. (2008). Working memory and learning: A practical guide. Sage Press. copy.
Alloway, T. P. & Gathercole, S. E (2007). Understanding Working memory: A classroom guide. copy.
- A commercially developed training programme designed to enhance working memory was also evaluated in collaboration with the developers, Cogmed – with agreed freedom to publish the results irrespective of outcome. Three studies evaluating this computer-based programme were carried out, with encouraging results. Children with working memory problems receiving the training showed considerable improvements in memory. Most achieved working memory scores appropriate for their age by the end of training, and these gains were sustained for at least six months after training stopped. Mathematics scores had also improved by this later date. .
Holmes, J., Gathercole, S.E., Place, M., Dunning, D.L., Hilton, K.A., & Elliott, J.G. (in press). Working memory deficits can be overcome: Impacts of training and medication on working memory in children with ADHD, Applied Cognitive Psychology.DOI: 10.1002/acp.1589. copy.
Holmes, J., Gathercole, S.E., & Dunning, D.L. (2009). Adaptive training leads to sustained enhancement of poor working memory in children, Developmental Science, DOI 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00848. copy.
A behaviour checklist to identify working memory problems has been developed
- To help teachers and other professionals identify children with working memory problems, the researchers also developed a checklist of behaviours based on the data collected during the project. This tool, the Working Memory Rating Scale has now been published and is already established as a valuable aid in identifying such children.
Alloway, T. P., Gathercole, S. E., Kirkwood, H. J., Elliott, J. G. (2009). The Working Memory Rating Scale: A classroom-based behavioral assessment of working memory. Learning and Individual Differences, 19, 242-245. copy.
Applications and future research
The results of this project have potentially far-reaching implications for education professionals. As well as providing the Working Memory Rating Scale and assessment of the Cogmed system, they show for the first time that working memory problems are an important risk factor for educational under-achievement. The findings have been made available to teachers and other non-academic audiences through a recent book, Working memory and learning: a guide for teachers by two of the researchers. (copy).
Currently, the researchers are involved in several working memory training projects and LEA collaborations. In their future investigations, the researchers plan to extend their work to whole-class or whole-school investigations.
About the study
The research was carried out by Professor Susan Gathercole of the Department of Psychology at the University of York, with Professor Julian Elliot (University of Durham), Dr Tracy Alloway (Stirling University) and Dr Barbara Riddick (University of Durham).
End of grant report (copy)
