Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

Working memory predicts a significant amount of variance for a variety of cognitive tasks, including speaking, reading, and writing. However, few tools are available to assess working memory in children. We present an innovative, computer-based battery that comprehensively assesses different components of working memory in school-age children.

The overall goal of this innovative battery is to assess multiple components of working memory in school aged children using a child friendly computer interface. The comprehensive assessment battery for children working memory, also called the CABC working memory can help us better understanding working memory in children. By comprehensively assessing central executive function, visual spatial skills and phonological working memory.

The main advantage of the CABC working memory is that it enables a comprehensive assessment of working memory using a child friendly, motivating computer interface in a game context. Demonstrating the procedure will be research scientist, Kathy Cabbage. She will be helping the child participant complete the CABC working memory.

Begin by escorting the child into the testing room and seating him in front of the computer at the appropriate distance. Then place an adjustable headphone on his head and use a splitter to connect an extra set of headphones for the assistant to wear during task administration. Next instruct the child to use the touch screen interface to select a pirate avatar that he will use throughout the game consisting of 13 working memory tasks.

After selecting the pirate avatar, direct the child to select one of the five islands on the screen. Then instruct the child to select one of the picture icons on his selected island which will start a task. Note that all tasks within the CABC working memory are narrated by a computer pirate, who provide standardized verbal instructions for each task.

Ahoy matey. At the beginning of each task, the researcher assistant looks at the instructions to set up the task before allowing the child to proceed. Note to start each task for the child, press nine on the keypad.

For the end back auditory and visual tasks, place the keyboard in front of the child. Put a green sticker on the C key and a red sticker on the M key to help the child differentiate between same and different responses respectively. The computer provides training instructions to the child before he starts the tasks.

After the child has completed the task, place the keyboard out of reach of the child unless required for the next task in the battery. For the number updating task, observe as the computer narrator directs the child to visually attend to two numbers presented on the computer screen, and to the subsequent addition operations. After the child verbally provides the running total for each trial, key the child's response on the 10 key number pad which will automatically advance the task to the next trial.

For the digit span task, watch as the computer narrator instructs the child to listen to sequences of digits that increase in length and to repeat as many digits as he can recall. Similarly observe as the computer narrator provides instructions for the digits span running task. After each trial, enter the digits that the child repeats into the 10 key number pad regardless of the correctness of the response.

For the non-word repetition task, have the child repeat a series of non-words as accurately as possible. After the child makes a reasonable attempt, press the C key to indicate an attempt was made and advance to the next trial. The child receives a virtual candy token for each trial.

Alternatively, if the child says he doesn't know or doesn't make a response press the M key to indicate an attempt was not made and to start the next trial. For the location span task, monitor the child's attention to the task as he or she recalls a series of locations on the computer screen and responds by touching the screen to make his or her selections. Likewise for the location span running task, watch as the computer narrator asks the child to recall in forward order as many locations presented from the end of a sequence of unpredictable length.

After the child touches the screen to respond, ensure that he selects the next button to advance to the next trial. Then for visual span, listen as the computer narrator provides the child with training instructions. Along the same lines for visual span running, observe as the computer narrator instructs the child to select the order of polygons that he or she can recall in forward order from as many polygons as possible.

Have the child select next to advance to the next trial. For the phonological binding span task, listen for the child's verbal response when he or she is asked for the non-word that was paired with the non-speech sound. After the child makes a reasonable attempt, press the C key.

Otherwise press the M key to indicate an attempt was not made and advance to the next trial. For visual binding span, monitor the child while he or she uses the touch screen to move the polygons on the screen into the grid locations that he or she recalls. Then have the child select next to advance to the next trial.

Finally, for cross modal binding, monitor the child's responses as he or she is presented with a polygon to label, after learning the polygon non-word pairings in spans of one to six. The CABC working memory was administered to 168 typically developing children in second grade. There was no floor or ceiling effects for children who successfully passed the training phase.

Suggesting that the tasks were developmentally appropriate for capturing a range of performances across children. The most difficult tasks for children to pass were digits span running and visual span running. With pass rates of 70.7%and 80.4%respectively.

All other tasks were passed by at least 90%of the children. Furthermore, a confirmatory factor analysis confirms the utility of the tasks of the CABC working memory to measure discrete components of working memory such as central executive, visuospatial and phonological working memory in the current sample of children. The long term aim of the CABC working memory is to make this battery available to researchers, educators and clinicians to help them understand how individual working memory strengths and weaknesses may impact academic achievements, and to help them tailor instructions and interventions for individual children.

The CABC working memory may ultimately be used to explore working memory profiles of children with learning difficulties such as dyslexia or language impairment and how such profiles may inform intervention in clinical or educational settings. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how the CABC working memory assesses multiple components of working memory in young school aged children.