The Development of Rehearsal in Verbal Short-Term Memory

Christopher Jarrold*, Debbora Hall

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)
465 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Verbal short-term memory, as indexed by immediate serial recall tasks (in which participants must recall several stimuli in order, immediately after presentation), develops considerably across middle childhood. One explanation for this age-related change is that children's ability to rehearse verbal material increases during this period, and one particularly influential version of this account is that only older children engage in any form of rehearsal. In this article, we critique evidence that is used to support the claim of age-related change in rehearsal and also critique the argument that children do not rehearse when engaged in immediate serial recall. This is not to say that rehearsal does not develop with age or that it is not required in any task, but to suggest that it plays little role in the development of verbal short-term memory performance as traditionally measured.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)182-186
Number of pages5
JournalChild development perspectives
Volume7
Issue number3
Early online date29 May 2013
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2013

Research Groups and Themes

  • Memory

Keywords

  • rehearsal
  • short-term memory
  • immediate serial recall
  • WORD-LENGTH
  • WORKING-MEMORY
  • FREE-RECALL
  • PHONOLOGICAL SIMILARITY
  • IMMEDIATE MEMORY
  • CHILDREN
  • SPEECH
  • SPAN
  • AGE
  • STRATEGIES

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