Relationship between linguistic performance and memory deficits in retarded children.

Performance of retarded children was measured on four tests of linguistic ability and two memory tests. Subjects were 50 retarded children: 10 each at mental ages 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The relationship between linguistic performance and memory was assessed by correlational analysis. Multiple and partial correlations were computed using a measure of language comprehension and a measure of memory span as predictor variables and three measures of language production as criterion variables. Different patterns of correlation were found with the three production as criterion variables. Different patterns of correlation were found with the three production measures, suggesting that the relative importance of memory span in language production depends on the specific production task.