Phonological memory gains disappeared when central executive was controlled, but visuospatial memory gains remained substantial, suggesting different underlying mechanisms¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q3·i3large
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
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 i3 Controlling for central executive reduced phonological memory gains to non-significance (p = .1560, d = .15) while visuospatial gains remained substantial (p = .0001, d = 1.06). → Li Y 2013
Evidence¶
Li Y 2013¶
Li Y, Geary DC (2013) Developmental Gains in Visuospatial Memory Predict Gains in Mathematics Achievement. PLoS ONE 8(7): e70160. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0070160
q3 · i3 · associational · r2
Repeated-measures ANCOVA-style control analyses in the 177-child longitudinal sample. The authors interpret phonological gains as strategy-based (rehearsal) and note visuospatial gains were "reduced but still substantial" (d = 1.06).
"Controlling for capacity of the central executive in first and fifth grades, reduced the phonological memory gains to non-significance (p = .1560, d = .15), and gains for visuospatial memory were reduced but still substantial (p = .0001, d = 1.06)."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- The central executive coordinates WM subsystems and supports higher-level language-learning functions such as attention switching and strategy switching — related
- First-to-fifth grade gains in visuospatial memory span (d = 2.4) were larger than gains in central executive capacity (d = 1.6) and phonological memory span (d = 1.1) — related
- Children with larger first-to-fifth grade gains in visuospatial memory had higher fifth grade mathematics achievement, controlling for first grade visuospatial memory and other predictors — related
- Working memory capacity increases with age independently of knowledge, encoding speed, and articulation — related
- Visuo-spatial working memory and inhibition jointly predict mathematics performance in 9–10-year-old children — related
- First grade visuospatial memory did not predict fifth grade mathematics achievement, but first grade central executive, intelligence, and in-class attentive behavior did — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
phonological-gains-strategy-based-visuospatial-gains-persist |
title |
Phonological memory gains disappeared when central executive was controlled, but visuospatial memory gains remained substantial, suggesting different underlying mechanisms |
description |
Phonological memory gains disappeared when central executive was controlled, but visuospatial memory gains remained substantial, suggesting different underlying mechanisms |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2013 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — li-y-2013 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.