The focus of attention factor was the only significant predictor of both fluid reasoning and visual processing intelligence when all three working memory factors were entered¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In structural equation models adding KABC-II intelligence factors, only the focus of attention factor was significantly related to both Gf and Gv in the Cowan model. → Gray Shelley 2016 q3 i? Correlations of the phonological storage and rehearsal factor with the intelligence factors were nonsignificant and very weak, indicating storage alone does not drive the working memory-intelligence relation. → Gray Shelley 2016 (2)

Evidence¶

Gray Shelley 2016¶

Gray Shelley, Green Samuel, Alt Mary, Hogan Tiffany P., Kuo Trudy, Brinkley Shara, Cowan Nelson. (2016). The Structure of Working Memory in Young Children and Its Relation to Intelligence. Journal of Memory and Language. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5157932/

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Structural equation modeling incorporating four KABC-II nonverbal intelligence subtests into the best-fitting working memory models in the same sample. "only the focus of attention factor was significantly related to the two intelligence factors" in the Cowan model.

"When all three working memory factors were allowed to predict the intelligence factors, only the focus of attention factor was significantly related to the two intelligence factors for the Cowan model (in keeping with Cowan et al., 2005)."

Gray Shelley 2016 (2)¶

Gray Shelley, Green Samuel, Alt Mary, Hogan Tiffany P., Kuo Trudy, Brinkley Shara, Cowan Nelson. (2016). The Structure of Working Memory in Young Children and Its Relation to Intelligence. Journal of Memory and Language. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5157932/

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Correlational analysis of the Cowan model factors with Gf and Gv factors in the same sample. The phonological storage and rehearsal factor was "nonsignificantly and very weakly related to the intelligence factors," a null finding for storage-driven accounts.

"As expected, the correlations between the phonological storage and rehearsal factor were nonsignificantly and very weakly related to the intelligence factors."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Central executive and focus of attention factors were highly correlated but statistically distinct, warranting separate factors in young children — related
• A common attentional component is needed for feature binding, running digit span, and visual short-term memory tasks, while phonological storage is separate — related
• Cowan's three-factor embedded processes model fit young children's working memory data slightly better than Baddeley and Hitch's three-factor model and decisively better than Baddeley's four-factor episodic buffer model — related
• Digit span running loaded on the focus of attention factor rather than the phonological factor, supporting Cowan's claim that running span performance reflects attentional capacity — related
• In the Baddeley and Hitch model, the visuospatial factor was most strongly related to intelligence, but the only significant path was between visuospatial and Gv — related
• Binding tasks showed no separate episodic buffer faculty, loading instead with visuospatial tasks or the focus of attention — related
• Short-term storage capacity increases from two units at ages 3-4 to four units at ages 10-11 when executive operations are minimal — related
• Gender differences in fluid intelligence (gF) on the WISC are negligible, and newer fluid-reasoning subtests show no difference or favour females — related