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Mother–child memory conversations are a nuanced and important factor in children's memory development. The current study focuses on maternal characteristics that are related to individual differences in maternal elaborative style. It also examines the role of maternal elaborative style in children's elaborativeness in the context of reminiscing and recounting. Two hundred and nine Turkish mothers (Mage= 36.32, SD = 4.99) and their 5- to 6-year-olds (Mage in months = 66.88, SD = 4.04) (110 girls, 99 boys) participated in the current study. Results revealed that maternal individuation and balanced self-construal type predicted maternal elaborativeness, which in turn predicted child elaborativeness in reminiscing and recounting. Yet, such a relation was not observed for maternal attachment styles or sensitivity. Findings suggested the importance of maternal individuation and balanced self-construal for mothers' and children's elaborativeness in memory conversations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mind wandering occurs when attention becomes disengaged from the here-and-now and directed toward internally generated thoughts; this is often associated with poorer performance on educationally significant tasks. In this study, 8- to 9-year-old children (N = 60) listened to audio stories embedded with intermittent thought probes that were used to determine if participants' thoughts were on or off task. The key objective was to explore the impact of probe-caught mind wandering on both immediate and delayed memory retention. Children reported being off task approximately 24% of the time. Most inattention episodes were classified as task-unrelated thoughts (i.e., 'pure' instances of mind wandering, 9%) or attentional failures due to distractions (9%). Higher frequency of mind wandering was strongly associated with poorer memory recall, and task-unrelated thoughts strongly predicted how well children could recall components of the audio story both immediately after the task and after a 1-week delay. This study is the first to demonstrate the impact of mind wandering on delayed memory retention in children. Results suggest that exploring mind wandering in the foundational years of schooling could provide the necessary empirical foundation for the development of practical interventions geared toward detecting and refocusing lapses of attention in educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults' ability to accurately evaluate children's statements can have far-reaching consequences within the legal system. This study examined the evaluations of police officers ("experts") and laypersons ("nonexperts") when presented with videotaped interviews of children aged 3 and 5 years who provided either true or false reports or denials. Participants were drawn from several counties in the eastern United States. Children's interview statements fell within four statement types: accurate reports, false reports, accurate denials, and false denials. Both groups of participants displayed overbelief in false denials. Several control variables predicted accuracy, including children's age and children's race. A significant interaction emerged: Experts (vs. nonexperts) had greater odds of being accurate when judging false reports (vs. false denials). These findings highlight the challenges adults face when distinguishing between various types of children's statements. The results have important implications for legal contexts, emphasizing that fact finders need to be mindful of the risks associated with both overaccepting false denials and accepting false reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memory decision‐making in 26‐ to 32‐month‐olds was investigated using visual‐paired comparison paradigms, requiring toddlers to select familiar stimuli (Active condition) or view familiar and novel stimuli (Passive condition). In Experiment 1 (N = 108, 54.6% female, 62% White; replication N = 98), toddlers with higher accuracy in the Active condition showed reduced novelty preference in that condition, but not in the Passive condition (d = −.11). In Experiment 2 (N = 78; 52.6% female; 70.5% White), a brief 5% increase in target size boosted gaze transitions across conditions (d =.50) and accuracy in the Active condition (d =.53). Overall, evidence suggests that better attentional distribution can support decision‐making. Research was conducted between 2014 and 2020 in Northern California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impairments of auditory processing are among frequent findings in dyslexia. However, it is unclear how auditory signals are gated from brainstem to higher central processing stages in these individuals. The present study was done to investigate auditory sensory gating in children with developmental dyslexia (DD), and to determine whether sensory gating correlates with performance on behavioural tasks. Auditory sensory gating at P50, N1 and P2 waves was evaluated in two groups including 20 children with DD and 19 children with typical reading development (TRD). Behavioural tests were used to evaluate phonological working memory (PWM) and selective attention abilities. Sensory gating in children with DD was significantly less efficient than their peers at P50, N1 and P2 waves. Lower auditory evoked potential (AEP) amplitudes were found in the DD group. The children with TRD scored better in all the behavioural tests. Relationships were reported between sensory gating at P50, N1, P2 and behavioural performance in the two groups. Children with dyslexia had deficient sensory gating in comparison with controls. In addition, children with dyslexia experienced problems with PWM and selective attention tasks. The function of sensory gating was associated with attentional and PWM performances in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both reading difficulties (RD) and mathematics difficulties (MD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders. The co-occurrence of RD and MD, known as comorbid RDMD, is estimated to range between 21% and 45% of children with learning disabilities. Deficits in working memory have been reported in both RD and MD groups, as well as among comorbid RDMD. However, previous comorbidity studies have only examined the role of some components of working memory, and they do not strictly match their groups on relevant reading and mathematics tasks. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the nature of working memory deficits in comorbid RDMD after matching groups based on reading and mathematics tasks. We assessed four groups of children (RD [n = 21, Mage = 10.96 years], MD [n = 24, Mage = 11.04 years], comorbid RDMD [n = 26, Mage = 10.90 years], and chronological-age controls [n = 27, Mage = 10.96 years]) on measures of the phonological loop (word span and digit span forward tasks), central executive (complex word and digit span), and updating tasks (word and digit 2-back). The results of ANCOVA (covarying for gender and non-verbal IQ) showed first that the RD and RDMD groups performed significantly worse than the MD and control groups in both measures of the phonological loop. For the central executive and updating tasks, we found an effect based on stimulus type. For word-related tasks, the RD and comorbid RDMD groups performed worse than the MD and control groups, and for number-related tasks, the MD and comorbid RDMD groups performed worse than the RD and control groups. Taken together, our findings provide support for the correlated liability model of comorbidity, which indicates that working memory deficits experienced by the RDMD group are an additive combination of deficits observed in the RD and MD groups, suggesting that working memory tasks used to examine underlying deficits in reading and/or mathematics difficulties may dictate whether or not significant group differences are found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Early Childhood is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study recruited 428 Singaporean children at risk of math learning difficulties (MLD; Mage = 83.9 months, SDage = 4.35 months; 41% female). Using a factor mixture model that considered both quantitative and qualitative differences in math ability, two qualitatively different groups were identified: one with generalized difficulties across different math skills and the other with more focal difficulties in arithmetic fluency. Reading, working memory capacity, and numeracy (number line estimation skills and numerical discrimination) uniquely explained group membership. Children within each group differed in the extent of difficulties they exhibited, with numeracy variables differentially contributing to math ability in each group. Findings speak against a dimensional view of MLD and underscore the conceptual limitations of using basic numeracy performance to profile learning difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the reliability and validity of the Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform System of Task Analysis (PRPP-Assessment) by parent-provided videos of children with mitochondrial disorders. Videos of 13 children performing 3–7 activities each were the subject of study, resulting in 65 activities. These were scored using the PRPP-Assessment by 11 raters. Internal consistency was calculated with Cronbach's alpha. Intra-rater reliability was evaluated by Bland-Altman Plots on 44 PRPP-Assessment scores. Inter-rater reliability was calculated with ICCAgreement on 128 PRPP-Assessment scores. Construct validity was assessed by comparing the PRPP-Assessment scores to the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure using Cohen's Kappa. PRPP-Assessments scores were evaluated with a multi-faceted Rasch Analysis. Internal consistency was high (0.92). Intra-rater reliability was sufficient to be good (92–96% within the 95%-Limits of the Agreement). The ICCAgreement for stage 1 Mastery Score showed acceptable inter-rater reliability (0.646). Stage 2 of the PRPP-Assessment showed low ICCs due to a lack of variability within the sample. Four out of six hypotheses on validity were accepted. Rasch's analysis demonstrated sound goodness-of-fit, and supported the validity of the PRPP-Assessment. The PRPP-Assessment by parent-provided videos in this heterogenic group showed sufficient to good psychometric properties. In practice, careful task selection and formulating criterion is recommended. PRPP-Assessment by parent-provided videos is reliable and valid in the complex, heterogenous group of children with mitochondrial disorders The PRPP-Assessment is suitable for children with mitochondrial disorders as it showed to contain familiar, functional and meaningful tasks and activities that fit with their level of functioning Professionals should be aware that parents might not be used to the criterium-based frame of reference of the PRPP-Assessment When applying the PRPP-Assessment, it is recommended to be careful in task selection and formulating the criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forensic interviewers ask children broad input-free recall questions about individual episodes in order to elicit complete narratives, often asking about "the first time," "the last time," and "one time." An overlooked problem is that the word "time" is potentially ambiguous, referring both to a particular episode and to conventional temporal information. We examined 191 6-9-year-old maltreated children's responses to questions about recent events varying the wording of the invitations, either asking children to "tell me about" or "tell me what happened" one time/the first time/the last time the child experienced recent recurrent events. Additionally, half of the children were asked a series of "when" questions about recurrent events before the invitations. Children were several times more likely to provide exclusively conventional temporal information to "tell me about" invitations compared to "tell me what happened" invitations, and asking "when" questions before the invitations increased children's tendency to give exclusively conventional temporal information. Children who answered a higher proportion of "when" questions with conventional temporal information were also more likely to do so in response to the invitations. The results suggest that children may often fail to provide narrative information because they misinterpret invitations using the word "time." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood naps support emotional memory, but benefits are only observed after overnight sleep. Whether emotional memory consolidation occurs during naps, or whether napping only prepares memories for overnight consolidation is unknown. We investigated whether naps protect emotional memories from interference, indicating consolidation. Between 2018 and 2020, 63 children in western Massachusetts preschools (30 female, 33 male; 33–67 months; 23.8% Hispanic, 87.3% White) learned faces paired with negative or neutral descriptions, followed by nap or wake. Before delayed recognition, half completed an interference task. Without interference, napping benefited recognition. With interference, children recognized fewer negative faces post‐nap (compared to wake), with overnight sleep attenuating this difference. Results suggest that naps initially destabilize emotional memories, possibly reflecting partial processing that promotes long‐term consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hearing Science is the property of Institute of Sensory Organs and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyzes how the relation between childhood and nature contributes to the formation of identities though childhood memories written for archival purposes. Archival research lets us consider how written childhood memories of nature are formed, producing social identities through practices of archiving. The archived memories of 50 people in Sweden are analyzed, concentrating on how they described their childhood memories of nature. Understanding memories as performances of identity can give important answers as to how the idealized relationship between nature and childhood is constructed in the specific context of archivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-word repetition tasks are widely used to assess phonological short-term memory (PSTM). Results of previous research on the performance of monolingual and bilingual children in PSTM tasks are inconclusive. Although in some studies bilinguals did outperform monolinguals in the repetition of non-words, most studies reported comparatively weak results of bilingual children, especially when they were tested in their L2. In this study, four-year-old monolingual and bilingual children acquiring German (N = 1,441) were tested with both German-based (GBNW) and quasi-universal non-words (QUNW). It was hypothesized that bilinguals would outperform monolinguals both in (a) GBNW under the condition of comparable German language skills and (b) QUNW without any preconditions because QUNW do not presuppose a good command of German. Bilinguals yielded significantly lower results in GBNW, but not in QUNW. After the exclusion of children with limited German language skills from both groups, bilinguals outperformed monolinguals in both tasks, especially in QUNW. It can be assumed that bilingualism puts higher demands on PSTM than monolingualism and thus contributes to its faster development. Unnecessary medical examinations and therapies that are sometimes prescribed to bilinguals due to a poor performance in German-based PSTM tasks can be avoided if QUNW are used instead of language-specific items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) cause individuals to have difficulty in learning facts, procedures, or social skills. NDD has been linked to several genes, and several animal models have been used to identify potential therapeutic candidates based on specific learning paradigms for long-term and associative memory. In individuals with NDD, however, such testing has not been used so far, resulting in a gap in translating preclinical results to clinical practice. Objective: We aim to assess if individuals with NDD could be tested for paired association learning and long-term memory deficit, as shown in previous animal models. Methods: We developed an image-based paired association task, which can be performed at different time points using remote web-based testing, and evaluated its feasibility in children with typical development (TD), as well as NDD. We included 2 tasks: object recognition as a simpler task and paired association. Learning was tested immediately after training and also the next day for long-term memory. Results: We found that children aged 5-14 years with TD (n=128) and with NDD of different types (n=57) could complete testing using the Memory Game. Children with NDD showed deficits in both recognition and paired association tasks on the first day of learning, in both 5-9-year old (P<.001 and P=.01, respectively) and 10-14-year old groups (P=.001 and P<.001, respectively). The reaction times to stimuli showed no significant difference between individuals with TD or NDD. Children with NDD exhibited a faster 24-hour memory decay for the recognition task than those with TD in the 5-9-year old group. This trend is reversed for the paired association task. Interestingly, we found that children with NDD had their retention for recognition improved and matched with typically developing individuals by 10-14 years of age. The NDD group also showed improved retention deficits in the paired association task at 10-14 years of age compared to the TD group. Conclusions: We showed that web-based learning testing using simple picture association is feasible for children with TD, as well as with NDD. We showed how web-based testing allows us to train children to learn the association between pictures, as shown in immediate test results and those completed 1 day after. This is important as many models for learning deficits in NDD target both short- and long-term memory for therapeutic intervention. We also demonstrated that despite potential confounding factors, such as self-reported diagnosis bias, technical issues, and varied participation, the Memory Game shows significant differences between typically developing children and those with NDD. Future experiments will leverage this potential of web-based testing for larger cohorts and cross-validation with other clinical or preclinical cognitive tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children are on a quest for knowledge. To achieve it, children must integrate separate but related episodes of learning. The theoretical model of memory integration posits that the process is supported by component cognitive abilities. In turn, memory integration predicts accumulation of a knowledge base. We tested this model in two studies (data collected in 2016–2018) with second (8‐year‐olds; n = 391; 196 female; 36% Black, 27% Hispanic/Latinx, 29% White, and 8% multiracial) and third (9‐year‐olds; n = 282; 148 female; 36% Black, 31% Hispanic/Latinx, 27% White, and 5% multiracial) graders. The results support the theoretical model and the role of verbal comprehension in learning new information, and also indicate that verbal comprehension alone is not sufficient to build knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual working memory (WM) plays a pivotal role in integrating fragments into meaningful units, but no study has addressed how visual WM integration takes place in children. The current study examined whether WM integration emerges once preschoolers master Gestalt cue and can retain two representations in WM (automatic integration hypothesis), or still needs time to mature (maturation‐of‐integration hypothesis). Four experiments (N = 168, 81 females, 4‐ to 6‐year‐olds, Chinese, in Hangzhou, China, from 2016.10 to 2021.11) were conducted. Although 4‐year‐olds can retain two objects in WM and benefit from Gestalt cues in simultaneous display (Cohen's ds >1.00), they failed when memory arrays were presented sequentially. Meanwhile, 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds consistently demonstrated WM integration ability (all Cohen's ds >0.69), supporting the maturation‐of‐integration hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children now participate in audio and video calls with their parents and relatives using smartphones. We assessed if video calls help children to have more expressive conversation. We talked with 60 children aged between four and eight years on audio and video calls using smartphones in a controlled environment. We observed how they participated in the conversation and if they could recall what they heard over a call and solve a problem involving physical artifacts while receiving help on a call. Video calls were found to engage children aged four to six years 32.84% and seven and eight years 47.75% longer than audio calls. The children used bodily gestures and interrupted the person with whom they were having conversation to make a point of their own more often on video calls. The difference in the number of children who could initiate audio and video calls was insignificant. We found that 67% of the children aged four to six years could recall a story they had heard on a video call, while only 27% of them could do so for audio calls. Additionally, 20% of the children aged seven and eight years could solve a problem involving physical artifacts when receiving instructions over video calls, while none of them could do so when receiving instructions on audio calls. Video calls can contribute in child development in several ways including instilling a sense of proximity and security among children. Specialized video chatting apps may be developed for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigated the contribution of multiple verbal and working memory (WM) skills to morphosyntactic prediction in Turkish-speaking 4- to 8-year-old children. In a visual world eye-tracking experiment, 76 children were presented with verb-final sentences with nominative and accusative case markers on the initial noun (e.g., the fast rabbit nominative ... the carrot accusative eat future vs. the fast rabbit accusative ... the fox nominative eat future ) while they were looking at a visual display with three objects (e.g., rabbit, carrot, and fox). Importantly, the case markers on the initial noun could be used to predict the second noun in these sentences. The results revealed that when children's early productive vocabulary and language production skills were higher, the better and faster they were in predicting the upcoming noun. The episodic buffer, a component of WM, was also positively associated with children's morphosyntactic prediction abilities. The implications of these results for the mechanisms of linguistic prediction are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psihologija is the property of Serbian Psychological Association / Drustvo psihologa Srbije and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article engages continuing discussions in childhood studies on (re)inserting the study of childhood into wider socio‐political matrices of power and practices. We present as a potent analytical strategy to do this work 'child as method', developed by one of the authors. After describing 'child as method', we draw on the Recollect/Reconnect project, in which scholars and artists who grew up during the last decades of the Cold War recalled their childhood memories. We focus on 'the child' and 'childhood' as a position of geopolitical address, formulated by narrators to the reader as revealing emergent post‐socialist subjectivities and conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have deficits in verbal and non‐verbal processing relative to typically developing (TD) peers, potentially reflecting difficulties in working memory, processing speed and inhibition of interference. We examined working memory in children with DLD using the serial‐order‐in‐a‐box–complex span (SOB‐CS) interference‐based model, which posits a time‐based mechanism, free time, that governs how interference affects processing performance. Aims: (1) To determine the degree to which children with DLD and TD children differ in the amount of free time available during working memory tasks, and whether potential group differences in free time differ depending on the domain of task demands? (2) To determine the relationship between free time and interference effects on working memory accuracy in children with DLD relative to TD peers. Methods & Procedures: We examined the relationship between free time and working memory in children aged 9–13 years with DLD relative to age‐matched TD peers. Working memory tasks involved five conditions that varied verbal versus non‐verbal task demands in an interference processing phase relative to a recall test phase. Free time was the time between response on the interference processing task and onset of the recall test phase. Outcomes & Results: DLD and TD groups did not differ in total free time in any condition. Results indicated group differences in the relationship between free time and accuracy in the conditions involving verbal recall, but not non‐verbal recall. In the verbal‐only condition, relatively more free time was associated with worse accuracy for the DLD group, but with better accuracy for the TD group. In the condition with verbal recall paired with non‐verbal interference processing, relatively more free time was associated with better accuracy for the DLD group, but not for the TD group. Conclusions & Implications: The overall findings suggest that free time between cognitive operations is positively associated with working memory for both verbal and non‐verbal recall, except in the presence of high verbal interference for the DLD group (i.e., verbal interference paired with verbal recall). This finding may reflect poor encoding and attention under particularly challenging verbal processing demands for the DLD group. This study also demonstrates the importance of considering the interrelationships between processing speed and interference in working memory performance. What this paper adds: What is already known on the subject: DLD is characterized by core deficits in verbal processing, but also deficits in non‐verbal processing. Processing‐based hypotheses of DLD—limited verbal working memory, slowed processing speed and inefficient inhibition—do not fully account for behavioural profiles in DLD when considered separately, yet there is evidence suggesting interrelationships among these factors. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: The current study tests the key mechanism posited by a theoretical framework that has the potential to integrate these processing‐based hypotheses. Our findings indicate that the effect of this mechanism differed in DLD relative to TD peers in the presence of high verbal task demands. Our findings also demonstrate the importance of considering the interrelationships among cognitive processes in children with DLD. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: In practice, results from the current study suggest that children with DLD may benefit from supplementing verbal information with non‐verbal information and from pauses between successive presentations of verbal information. These strategies may support their ability to maintain and act on information during verbal processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, research has focused on the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on cognitive function has strongly increased. However, little is known about the effects of HIIT on executive function (EFs) in children and adolescents. Objective: This systematic review and metaanalysis aimed to evaluate the effects of HIIT on EFs in children and adolescents. Methods: A literature search was performed using four electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost. We included studies published since 2010 that examined HIIT interventions on EFs (Inhibitory Control (IC), Working Memory (WM) and Cognitive Flexibility (CF)) with participants aged between 6 and 18 years. Results: Seven of the 295 studies were included in this review. Analysis of HIIT effects, as well as sensitivity analysis, indicated that participation in HIIT exercise sessions led to a significant improvement in WM (MD = 0.29, 95% CI 0.08; 0.05; z = 2.73, p = 0.01; I2 = 92%; p < 0.01). However, the analysis of the effects of HIIT on IC indicated that participation in HIIT exercise sessions was not significant (MD = -1.3, 95% CI 20.02; 17.41; p=0.26; z = -0.14, p =0.89; I2 = 22%; p= 0.26). Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that participation in an HIIT program can improve the working memory of children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Math attitudes are related to achievement, yet we do not know how the brain supports changes in math attitudes. 51 children (54.9% female, 45.1% male; 37.3% White, 33.3% Black, 11.8% Latino, 5.9% Asian, 11.8% Other) solved a multiplication task inside the scanner when they were approximately 11 (time 1; T1) and 13 (time 2; T2) years old (i.e., mean age). Results revealed clusters in the left middle to superior temporal gyri at T1 associated with math attitudes at T1 and with their longitudinal improvement. However, changes in attitudes were not associated with brain changes over time. These findings suggest that relying on the storage of arithmetic facts, involved in memory retrieval, explains the development of positive math attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive functioning of children who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) has received less attention than their emotional‐behavioral outcomes. Drawing upon data from 615 (48.4% female) 10‐year‐old Australian‐born children and their mothers (9.6% of mothers born in non‐English speaking countries) participating in a community‐based longitudinal study between 2004 and 2016, this study examined the associations between IPV in infancy and cognition in middle childhood (at age 10). Results showed that IPV in the first 12 months of life was associated with lower general cognitive ability and poorer executive attention but not working memory skills. IPV in middle childhood (in the 10th year postpartum) was not associated with cognition. This study provides evidence for the long‐term impact of early life exposure to IPV on children's cognition, and points to the importance of early intervention to optimize development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verbally reported long‐term memory for past events typically improves with age. However, such findings are based exclusively on studies, where children are directly asked to recall. The present study showed that when 3‐ (n = 113, 59 girls) and 4‐year‐olds (n = 113, 62 girls), predominantly White, were brought back to a distinct laboratory‐setting after either 1‐, 4.5‐, or 13‐weeks, children—regardless of age and delay—spontaneously recalled the distinct event experienced at their first visit (all Cohen's ds > 1.00). Meanwhile, the oldest children outperformed the youngest when being asked directly to retrieve the event (ηp2>.088). These findings suggest that spontaneous retrieval facilitated by distinct environmental cues provides a short‐cut to young children's event memories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preschoolers are well known for their poor working memory (WM) performance. This could result from goal neglect, which would hamper the setting of maintenance strategies. Previous studies have shown that preschoolers' WM performance can be improved in game-like tasks, because they provide cues to support goal maintenance. However, in these studies, it was unclear what features of the task (either the main toy or the motor activity required by the game) provide efficient cues. The aim of the present study was to disentangle the two features to examine cue effects in 5-to 7-year-old children. No improvement of WM performance was observed when the toy was a potential goal cue, whereas the motor activity had a detrimental effect in all age groups. The latter effect could result from a distraction of attention from attention-based maintenance activities. Hence, preschoolers' poorWM performance would not be fundamentally due to goal neglect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Specific learning difficulties are the existence of disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes which play a role in the process of understanding and using spoken or written language. Aim: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of working memory intervention on visual-spatial working memory performance among the preschool children at risk of learning disabilities. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental study including pretest and posttest design with a control group. The statistical population comprised all children who were studying in preschool centers and kindergartens (2016-2017) in Tehran (District 14). A sample of 20 preschool students who were selected through purposive sampling participated in this study. They were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups (10 participants in each group). The experimental group participated in working memory program to 60-minute 12 sessions during the three months. In order to measure the performance of working memory, the working memory subset of IQ scale, Tehran-Stanford-Binet test and N-Back test were used. The data were analyzed by SPSS-22 and t-Test. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the subjects age are 6.2 and 0.45, respectively. The results showed that the working memory intervention caused the improvement on visual-spatial working memory performance of children (P<0.001). Conclusion: Considering the findings of the present study, it seems that visual-spatial working memory intervention can improve the working memory of preschool children and it can be used to enhance the visual-spatial working memory functiion of children and prevent the learning problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally there is high morbidity due to mental illnesses, necessitating research on positive mental health and new models of mental health promotion. This study investigates the mediating role of spirituality to known pathways between childhood social exposures and adult mental health outcomes—hope, meaning in life and depression among young Kenyan men. Using the "religion as attachment" framework, we investigate whether childhood attachment conditions predict lower scores of daily spiritual experiences, and whether this pathway mediates associations between childhood attachment conditions and current depression, meaning in life, and hope. Spirituality significantly mediated associations between childhood attachments and adult mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, 4th ed. includes two measures of working memory normed on children 2;6–7;7. The present analyses of the typically developing children (N = 1,591, 812 female, 779 male, with an ethnic distribution approximating the United States) provide new, theoretically important information about these working memory tasks, Picture Memory and Zoo Locations. These new analyses establish developmental trends, individual‐difference properties, and cognitive task properties. They show comparable developmental trends for the two tasks, but Picture Memory picks up more individual‐difference variation and is more sensitive to knowledge. This analysis of normed tasks starting very young makes possible new methods for research on the early stages of childhood working memory development, about which little is currently known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atypical learning and memory in early life can promote atypical behaviors in later life. Less relational learning and inflexible retrieval in childhood may enhance restricted and repeated behaviors in patients with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms of atypical memory in children with autism spectrum disorder. We conducted picture–name pair learning and delayed-recognition tests with two groups: one group with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder children (aged 7–16, n = 41) and one group with typically developing children (n = 82) that matched the first group's age, sex, and IQ. We assessed correlations between successful recognition scores and seed-to-whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity. Although both learning and retrieval performances were comparable between the two groups, we observed slightly lower category learning and significantly fewer memory gains in the autism spectrum disorder group than in the typically developing group. The right canonical anterior hippocampal network was involved in successful memory in youths with typically developing, while other memory systems may be involved in successful memory in youths with autism spectrum disorder. Context-independent and less relational memory processing may be associated with fewer memory gains in autism spectrum disorder. These atypical memory characteristics in autism spectrum disorder may accentuate their inflexible behaviors in some situations. Atypical learning and memory in early life can promote atypical behaviors in later life. Specifically, less relational learning and inflexible retrieval in childhood may enhance restricted and repeated behaviors in patients with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms of atypical memory in children with autism spectrum disorder. We conducted picture–name pair learning and delayed-recognition tests with two groups of youths: one group with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder children (aged 7–16, n = 41) and one group with typically developing children (n = 82) that matched the first group's age, sex, and full-scale IQ. We examined correlations between successful recognition scores and neural connectivity during resting in the magnetic resonance imaging scanner without thinking about anything. Although both learning and retrieval performances were comparable between the two groups, we observed significantly fewer memory gains in the autism spectrum disorder group than in the typically developing group. The memory network was involved in successful memory retrieval in youths with typically developing, while the other memory systems that do not depend to a great degree on networks may be involved in successful memory in youths with autism spectrum disorder. Context-independent and less relational memory processing may be associated with fewer memory gains in autism spectrum disorder. In other words, autism spectrum disorder youths might benefit from non-relational memory. These atypical memory characteristics in autism spectrum disorder may exaggerate their inflexible behaviors in some situations, or—vice versa—their atypical behaviors may result in rigid and less connected memories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with smaller regional and global brain volumes. In rats, gestational choline supplementation mitigates adverse developmental effects of ethanol exposure. Our recent randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled maternal choline supplementation trial showed improved somatic and functional outcomes in infants at 6.5 and 12 months postpartum. Here, we examined whether maternal choline supplementation protected the newborn brain from PAE‐related volume reductions and, if so, whether these volume changes were associated with improved infant recognition memory. Methods: Fifty‐two infants born to heavy‐drinking women who had participated in a choline supplementation trial during pregnancy underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging with a multi‐echo FLASH protocol on a 3T Siemens Allegra MRI (median age = 2.8 weeks postpartum). Subcortical regions were manually segmented. Recognition memory was assessed at 12 months on the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence (FTII). We examined the effects of choline on regional brain volumes, whether choline‐related volume increases were associated with higher FTII scores, and the degree to which the regional volume increases mediated the effects of choline on the FTII. Results: Usable MRI data were acquired in 50 infants (choline: n = 27; placebo: n = 23). Normalized volumes were larger in six of 12 regions in the choline than placebo arm (t ≥ 2.05, p ≤ 0.05) and were correlated with the degree of maternal choline adherence (β ≥ 0.28, p ≤ 0.04). Larger right putamen and corpus callosum were related to higher FTII scores (r = 0.36, p = 0.02) with a trend toward partial mediation of the choline effect on recognition memory. Conclusions: High‐dose choline supplementation during pregnancy mitigated PAE‐related regional volume reductions, with larger volumes associated with improved 12‐month recognition memory. These results provide the first evidence that choline may be neuroprotective against PAE‐related brain structural deficits in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recent behavioral studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of implementing retrieval practice into learning tasks for children. Such approaches have revealed that repeated spaced retrieval (RSR) is particularly effective in promoting children's learning of word form and meaning information. This study further examines how retrieval practice enhances learning of word meaning information at the behavioral and neural levels. Method: Twenty typically developing preschool children were taught novel words using an RSR learning schedule for some words and an immediate retrieval (IR) learning schedule for other words. In addition to the label, children were taught two arbitrary semantic features for each item. Following the teaching phase, children's learning was tested using recall tests. In addition, during the 1-week follow-up, children were presented with pictures and an auditory sentence that correctly labeled the item but stated correct or incorrect semantic information. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were time locked to the onset of the words noting the semantic feature. Children provided verbal judgments of whether the semantic feature was correctly paired with the item. Results: Children recalled more labels and semantic features for items that had been taught in the RSR learning schedule relative to the IR learning schedule. ERPs also differentiated the learning schedules. Mismatching label--meaning pairings elicited an N400 and late positive component (LPC) for both learning conditions; however, mismatching RSR pairs elicited an N400 with an earlier onset and an LPC with a longer duration, relative to IR mismatching label--meaning pairings. These ERP timing differences indicated that the children were more efficient in processing words that were taught in the RSR schedule relative to the IR learning schedule. Conclusions: Spaced retrieval practice promotes learning of both word form and meaning information. The findings lay the necessary groundwork for better understanding of processing newly learned semantic information in preschool children. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.15063060 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to examine how visual skills, verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory, and other general cognitive skills (inhibitory control, attention, and decision speed) were simultaneously correlated with the early acquisition of reading among kindergarten children. A total of 99 Chinese children were tested individually on the Chinese character recognition task, the block design task, the digit span task, the visuospatial sketchpad task, the continuous performance task (CPT), the flanker task, and the choice reaction time task. The results showed that visual skills and working memory accounted for 15% of the unique variance in character reading, whereas other general cognitive skills, including decision speed, inhibitory control and attention, did not significantly explain the variance in character reading when visual skills and working memory were considered. Specifically, verbal working memory, rather than visuospatial working memory, explained the unique variance in children's learning of character reading. These findings highlighted that visual skills and verbal working memory were among the most important precursors of reading in children at the beginning stage of learning Chinese characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]