The role of verbal and nonverbal memory in the Family Pictures Subtest: data from children with specific language impairment.
This study examined the contribution of verbal and visual memory to performance on the Family Pictures subtest of the Children's Memory Scale. This subtest purports to assess declarative memory functioning in the visual/nonverbal domain. A total of 115 nine-year-old children participated in this study. Fifty-eight had specific language impairment (SLI), whilst the remaining 57 were typically developing (TD), with no history of language difficulties. Results showed that the children with SLI, who had intact declarative memory for visual but not verbal information, obtained significantly lower scores on the Family Pictures subtest when compared to the TD group. Regression analyses revealed that across the entire sample, individual differences on the Family Pictures subtest was best predicted by a measure of verbal working memory. These results question whether the Family Pictures subtest can be considered a measure of visual memory in pediatric populations. These results have implications for the interpretation of scores on this subtest regarding the nature of the types of neurocognitive difficulties children may exhibit.
a 1 School of Psychology , Deakin University , Melbourne , Australia.
Jarrad A G
JA
Lum
Gina
G
Conti-Ramsden
Michael T
MT
Ullman
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011581:Psychological Tests