Short term memory and working memory in blind versus sighted children

Ans Withagen; Astrid M.L. Kappers; Mathijs P.J. Vervloed; Harry Knoors; Ludo Verhoeven

doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.028

Short term memory and working memory in blind versus sighted children

Ans Withagen (Corresponding author), Astrid M.L. Kappers, Mathijs P.J. Vervloed, Harry Knoors, Ludo Verhoeven

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

51 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

There is evidence that blind people may strengthen their memory skills to compensate for absence of vision. However, which aspects of memory are involved is open to debate and a developmental perspective is generally lacking. In the present study, we compared the short term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) of 10-year-old blind children and sighted children. STM was measured using digit span forward, name learning, and word span tasks; WM was measured using listening span and digit span backward tasks. The blind children outperformed their sighted peers on both STM and WM tasks. The enhanced capacity of the blind children on digit span and other STM tasks confirms the results of earlier research; the significantly better performance of the blind children relative to their sighted peers on verbal WM tasks is a new interesting finding. Task characteristics, including the verbal nature of the WM tasks and strategies used to perform these tasks, are discussed.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2161-2172
Number of pages	12
Journal	Research in Developmental Disabilities
Volume	34
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.028
Publication status	Published - 14 May 2013
Externally published	Yes

Funding

We are greatly indebted to all the participants, parents, and teachers for their contributions to this study. The authors thank Hilde Koetsier for her help in gathering the data. The research was supported by a grant from the Novum Foundation : a non-profit organization providing financial support for research projects aimed to improve the quality of life for individuals with a visual impairment. A.M.L. Kappers was supported by a grant from the EU , project no. 248587 : “THE Hand Embodied”. Appendix A 15 Words Test. In Dutch In English 1. gordijn 1. curtain 2. vogel 2. bird 3. potlood 3. pencil 4. bril 4. glasses 5. winkel 5. shop 6. spons 6. sponge 7. rivier 7. river 8. kleur 8. color 9. fluit 9. flute 10. plant 10. plant 11. koffie 11. coffee 12. stoel 12. chair 13. trommel 13. drum 14. schoen 14. shoe 15. lucht 15. air Appendix B

Keywords

Blind
Children
Memory
Short term memory (STM)
Working memory (WM)

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10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.028

Cite this

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Short term memory and working memory in blind versus sighted children

Abstract

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Keywords

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