TY - JOUR
T1 - Short term memory and working memory in blind versus sighted children
AU - Withagen, A.
AU - Kappers, A.M.L.
AU - Vervloed, M.P.J.
AU - Knoors, H.
AU - Verhoeven, L.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - 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. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
AB - 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. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
U2 - 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.028
DO - 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.028
M3 - Article
SN - 0891-4222
VL - 34
SP - 2161
EP - 2172
JO - Research in Developmental Disabilities
JF - Research in Developmental Disabilities
ER -