Normative data on the n-back task for children and young adolescents.
The n-back task is a frequently used measure of working memory (WM) in cognitive neuroscience research contexts, and it has become widely adopted in other areas over the last decade. This study aimed to obtain normative data for the n-back task from a large sample of children and adolescents. To this end, a computerized verbal n-back task with three levels of WM load (1-back, 2-back, and 3-back) was administered to 3722 Spanish school children aged 7-13 years. Results showed an overall age-related increase in performance for the different levels of difficulty. This trend was less pronounced at 1-back than at 2-back when hits were considered. Gender differences were also observed, with girls outperforming boys although taking more time to respond. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed. Normative data stratified by age and gender for the three WM load levels are provided.
Department of Psychology, University of Jaén , Jaén, Spain.
Santiago
S
Pelegrina
Department of Psychology, University of Jaén , Jaén, Spain.
M Teresa
MT
Lechuga
Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, National University of Distance Education , Madrid, Spain.
Juan A
JA
García-Madruga
Department of Basic Psychology, National University of Distance Education , Madrid, Spain.
M Rosa
MR
Elosúa
Research Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.
Pedro
P
Macizo
Basque Center of Cognition, Brain and Language , San Sebastián-Donostia, Spain.
Manuel
M
Carreiras
Department of Basic Psychology and Methodology, University of Murcia , Murcia, Spain.
Luis J
LJ
Fuentes
Research Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.
M Teresa
MT
Bajo
memory development in children; n-back; working memory; working memory development; working memory updating