title: Home sweet home: does where you live matter to working memory and other cognitive skills?
abstract: Learning outcomes are associated with a variety of environmental and cognitive factors, and the aim of the current study was to compare the predictive power of these factors in longitudinal outcomes. We recruited children in kindergarten and tested their learning outcomes 2 years later. In kindergarten, children completed tests of IQ, phonological awareness, and memory (sentence memory, short-term memory, and working memory). After 2 years, they took national assessments in reading, writing, and math. Working memory performance was not affected by socioeconomic status (SES), whereas IQ, phonological awareness, and sentence memory scores differed as a function of SES. A series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that working memory and phonological awareness were better predictors of learning than any other factors tested, including SES. Educational implications include providing intervention during the early years to boost working memory and phonological awareness so as to prevent subsequent learning difficulties.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA. Electronic address: t.alloway@unf.edu.
authors: Tracy Packiam
authors: TP
authors: Alloway
authors: Department of Psychology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
authors: Ross G
authors: RG
authors: Alloway
authors: Department of Psychology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
authors: Samantha
authors: S
authors: Wootan
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010700:Phonetics; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014888:Wechsler Scales
keywords: Learning outcomes; Nonverbal IQ; Phonological awareness; Sentence memory; Socioeconomic status (SES); Working memory