Backward digit span performance does not emerge until about age 5, whereas forward span is measurable from age 3¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr3·q3
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2027: baselines and conditions change
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Onset of backward span performance begins around age 5 while forward span is observed from age 3. → Ahmed 2022
Evidence¶
Ahmed 2022¶
Ahmed, S. F., Ellis, A., Ward, K. P., Chaku, N., & Davis-Kean, P. E. (2022). Working memory development from early childhood to adolescence using two nationally representative samples. Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001396
q3 · i? · associational · r3
Figure 1-based results from the PSID-CDS cubic models show task-specific onset: "the onset of performance did not begin until the age of 5" for backward span, while forward span was measurable from age 3.
"the most rapid growth for Backward Digit Span also occurred during childhood; however, the onset of performance did not begin until the age of 5, with childhood growth leveling off at age 11."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Cool executive function measures show ascending age-related growth across adolescence, with a growth spurt around age 14–15 — related
- Verbal working memory shows non-linear growth from ages 3–19, with the most rapid growth during childhood and a brief accelerated period during early adolescence — related
- Explicit mentalizing (false-belief understanding) emerges robustly between ages 4 and 6 — related
- No significant group difference in working memory as measured by the Digit Span Backward subtest
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
backward-span-onset-age-5 |
title |
Backward digit span performance does not emerge until about age 5, whereas forward span is measurable from age 3 |
description |
Backward digit span performance does not emerge until about age 5, whereas forward span is measurable from age 3 |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2022 |
recheck_by |
2027 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — ahmed-2022 |
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