ERIC Number: EJ909235
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Jan
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0165-0254
EISSN: N/A
Effects of Anxiety on Memory Storage and Updating in Young Children
Visu-Petra, Laura; Cheie, Lavinia; Benga, Oana; Alloway, Tracy Packiam
International Journal of Behavioral Development, v35 n1 p38-47 Jan 2011
The relationship between trait anxiety and memory functioning in young children was investigated. Two studies were conducted, using tasks tapping verbal and visual-spatial short-term memory (Study 1) and working memory (Study 2) in preschoolers. On the verbal storage tasks, there was a detrimental effect of anxiety on processing efficiency (duration of preparatory intervals) on Word Span. Performance effectiveness (memory span) did not differ between high-anxious and low-anxious children. In the second study, evaluating memory updating in a dual-task context, high-anxious children performed worse than low-anxious children on two verbal working memory tasks. Therefore, when simple verbal storage is required, high-anxious children show only efficiency deficits; when executive demands are higher (i.e., verbal updating) both accuracy and efficiency are impaired. However, on the visual-spatial storage and updating measures, performance did not differ between the two anxiety groups. The results are discussed in the context of the attentional control theory (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007). (Contains 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Intervals, Young Children, Short Term Memory, Anxiety, Visual Perception, Spatial Ability, Verbal Communication, Cognitive Processes, Comparative Analysis, Attention, Foreign Countries, Child Development
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Romania
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Digit Span Test; Raven Progressive Matrices
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A