Cognitive approaches to the development of short-term memory
Abstract
The capacity to retain information for brief periods of time increases dramatically during the childhood years. The increases in temporary storage of speech-based material that take place in the period spanning the pre-school years and adolescence reflect complex changes in many of the different component processes, including perceptual analysis, construction and maintenance of a memory trace, retention of order information, rehearsal, retrieval and redintegration. Another crucial capacity that undergoes a similar striking development is complex working memory, the ability to manipulate and store material simultaneously. Possible sources of age-related changes in working memory include increases in processing efficiency and attentional capacity, and task-switching. These two short-term memory systems might play significant but distinct roles in supporting the acquisition of knowledge and skills during childhood. Whereas phonological short-term memory is linked specifically with the learning of the phonological structures of new words, complex working memory appears to support processing and learning in a wide range of contexts, in both childhood and adulthood.
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Short-term memory is fractionated into at least two domain-specific components specialized for the retention of phonological and visuospatial material.
“Findings from experimental, developmental, and neuropsychological studies indicate that short-term memory is fractionated into at least two domain-specific components that are specialized for the retention of phonological and visuospatial material (see Gathercole, 1999, and Vallar & Papagno, 2002, for reviews).”
From Working memory in children with reading disabilities (2006) · cites this paper as Gathercole, 1999
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- Authors
- Gathercole, S. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Bristol (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Gathercole, Susan E.
- ORCID
- Gathercole, Susan E.
- Venue
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1999-11
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 410-419
- ISSN
- 1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2156160073
- Semantic Scholar
- 97dcc3e579c09fe252ff7cf80c96fde239e862cf
- Cited by
- 582
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 34
- FWCI
- 5.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
- Keywords
- short-term memory, working memory, phonological memory, memory development, child cognitive development, rehearsal, memory traces, order information, retrieval, task switching, attentional capacity, processing efficiency, word learning, knowledge acquisition
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