title: A Meta-Analysis of Working Memory Impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by executive dysfunction, and working memory (WM) comprises one core component of executive function. Many studies have investigated WM impairments in individuals with ASD, however, a conclusive agreement has not been reached. The present study provided a meta-analytic review of WM impairments in individuals with ASD and evaluated potential moderating variables of this problem. Twenty-eight studies were included in this study, and the participants comprised 819 individuals with ASD and 875 healthy controls. A significant WM impairment (Cohen's d = -0.61) was identified in the individuals with ASD, however, this impairment was not associated with age. Results of moderation analyses showed that (a) spatial WM was more severely impaired than verbal WM and (b) the component of cognitive processing (maintenance vs. maintenance plus manipulation) did not affect the severity of WM impairments. These findings suggest that WM is impaired in individuals with ASD and may have implications for interventions related to WM impairments in these individuals.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China. wangyazsu@gmail.com.|Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. wangyazsu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ya
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5764-6740
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Youth Work, China Youth University for Political Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Bing
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lu-Lu
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Education Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Fang
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Youth Work, China Youth University for Political Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
authors.forename: David H K
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Shum
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: van Amelsvoort
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Raymond C K
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Autism spectrum disorders; Meta-analysis; Moderator; Working memory