To investigate the development of the Phonological Loop through adolescence and aging
Type of Experiment
Field Experiment
IV
Year group being tested
DV
Mean Verbal Digit Span
English Sample
575 School children (Pre-school, Primary and Secondary)
Spanish Sample
13Year groups, no cognitive impairments
Procedure
At break time, children we're tasked to recall 3digit sequences that read audibly to them, 1 second interval per digit. The sequence increased by 1 digit every time they passed a round. Their result was the longest length that they got 2 out of 3 for
Findings
5 Years - 3.76
11 Years 5.28
17 Years - 5.91
Healthy Elderly Participants scored better than participants aged 5-6, but Elderly with fvFTD scored lower than participants aged 5-6
Conclusion
Both studies on adolescents and elderly show Verbal Digit Span increases until age 17
English children scored better then Spanish due to the Word Length Effect
Age is a more impactful factor to Verbal Digit Span than Dementia
