Verbal and spatial short-term memory: Two sources of developmental evidence consistent with common underlying processes

Abstract

Developments in serial short-term memory (STM) typically have been assessed using verbal items, and mechanisms of development unique to the verbal system have been postulated. Here we review two studies of the development of spatial STM. The first (Chuah & Maybery, 1999) showed that variance in spatial span was partitioned among a set of predictor variables in a configuration very similar to that found for verbal span. The second (Maybery & Chuah, 1999) examined the timing of recall for spatial sequences. Intervals between touches as children recalled spatial sequences showed comparable effects to those reported for the oral recall of verbal sequences. Discussion focuses on processes that could serve both verbal and spatial memory and mediate span development.