title: Short-term memory, executive control, and children's route learning.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate route-learning ability in 67 children aged 5 to 11years and to relate route-learning performance to the components of Baddeley's model of working memory. Children carried out tasks that included measures of verbal and visuospatial short-term memory and executive control and also measures of verbal and visuospatial long-term memory; the route-learning task was conducted using a maze in a virtual environment. In contrast to previous research, correlations were found between both visuospatial and verbal memory tasks-the Corsi task, short-term pattern span, digit span, and visuospatial long-term memory-and route-learning performance. However, further analyses indicated that these relationships were mediated by executive control demands that were common to the tasks, with long-term memory explaining additional unique variance in route learning.
authors: Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, London, UK. h.purser@ioe.ac.uk
authors: Harry R M
authors: HR
authors: Purser
authors: Emily K
authors: EK
authors: Farran
authors: Yannick
authors: Y
authors: Courbois
authors: Axelle
authors: A
authors: Lemahieu
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Mellier
authors: Pascal
authors: P
authors: Sockeel
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Blades
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011930:Reaction Time; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013028:Space Perception; D006113:United Kingdom