Working memory and high-level cognition in children: An analysis of timing and accuracy in complex span tasks

This study examined working memory (WM) using complex span tasks (CSTs) to improve theoretical understanding of the relationship between WM and high-level cognition (HLC) in children. Ninety-two children aged between seven and eight years were tested on three computer-paced CSTs and measures of non-verbal reasoning, reading and mathematics. Processing times in the CSTs were restricted based on individually titrated processing speeds, and performance was compared to participant-led tasks with no time restrictions. Storage, processing accuracy, and both processing and recall times within the CSTs were used as performance indices to understand the effects of time restrictions at a granular level. Restricting processing times did not impair storage, challenging models that argue for a role of maintenance in WM. A task-switching account best explained the effect of time restrictions on performance indices and their inter-relationships. Principal component analysis showed that a single factor with all performance i