Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Education, Université de Genève, 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland.
J Exp Child Psychol. 2011 Nov;110(3):469-79. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2011.05.004. Epub 2011 Jun 12.
Several models assume that working memory development depends on age-related increases in efficiency and speed of processing. However, age-related increases in the efficiency of the mechanisms that counteract forgetting and restore memory traces may also be important. This hypothesis was tested in three experiments by manipulating both the processing duration within a working memory task and the time available to restore memory traces. Third- and sixth-grade children performed a complex span task in which they maintained series of letters while adding numbers to series of digits. When we equated processing and restoration times between ages, the developmental difference in working memory span was reduced but remained significant. However, this residual difference was eliminated when the time available to reactivate memory traces was tailored to the processing speed of each age group. This indicates that children employ active mechanisms for maintenance and restoration of memory traces that develop with age.
几种模型假设工作记忆的发展取决于与年龄相关的加工效率和速度的提高。然而，对抗遗忘和恢复记忆痕迹的机制的效率随着年龄的增长而提高，这也可能很重要。该假设在三个实验中通过操纵工作记忆任务中的加工持续时间和恢复记忆痕迹的可用时间来进行检验。三、六年级的儿童进行了一项复杂的跨度任务，在该任务中，他们在保持一系列字母的同时向一系列数字中添加数字。当我们在年龄之间平衡加工和恢复时间时，工作记忆跨度的发展差异虽然减少了，但仍然显著。然而，当重新激活记忆痕迹的时间可根据每个年龄组的加工速度进行调整时，这种剩余的差异就消除了。这表明儿童在使用主动机制来维持和恢复记忆痕迹，而这些机制随着年龄的增长而发展。
