Male and female WM growth trajectories do not differ: sex-by-age interactions are non-significant after multiple-comparison correction¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2022 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Biological sex × age interaction coefficients for forward and backward digit span growth were non-significant in the full PSID-CDS and in the ECLS-K:2011 after correction. → 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

Robustness check interacting biological sex with age in the PSID-CDS cubic models; "non-significant interaction coefficients" for both tasks (p = .217 and p = .224). The ECLS-K:2011 interaction (b = −0.520, p = .041) was also non-significant after Bonferroni correction.

"We observed non-significant interaction coefficients for the cubic functional form of the Forward Digit Span (b = 0.001, SE = .001, p = .217; see Figure 3) and Backward Digit Span (b = 0.001, SE = .001, p = .224; see Figure 3) in the full PSID-CDS dataset."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Age and Developmental Stage — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Sex-specific subgroup models show the same functional forms for boys and girls, though cubic coefficients for boys were not significant after correction — 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
• When PSID-CDS data are restricted to ages 6–11, backward digit span growth is best characterized by a quadratic (not cubic) function — related
• Female children and adolescents recognize vocal emotions more accurately than males, with no interaction between sex and age — related
• Cool executive function measures show ascending age-related growth across adolescence, with a growth spurt around age 14–15 — related
• The simulation advantage and interest differences hold across subgroups of age, gender, school form, and grade — related