contemporary study: sebastien & hernandez gil Flashcards
1
Q
who conducted this study? what year?
A
- Sebastian & Hernandez-Gil
- 2012
2
Q
where did the study take place?
A
- Madrid, Spain
3
Q
aim of study
A
- to investigate development of phonological loop in children between age 5-17 using digit (numbers) span as measure of phonological capacity
- to look at decline of digit span in older people (normal healthy people and dementia patients)
- compare digit span in spanish population with anglo-saxon population
4
Q
part 1 procedure
A
- gathered primary data and used 570 volunteer ppts aged between 5-17 from schools in madrid
- all ppts born in Spain and impairments in hearing, reading and writing ability were controlled
- ppts divided into five different age groups and average digit span was recorded from each age and group
- each ppt tested individually in school break time
- digit span was measured by reading aloud sequences of digits one per second
- each time ppt got sequence right another digit was added to increase span and ppt tried again
- digit span measure was number of digits in sequence where they recalled at least two of three sequences correctly (right digits and order)
- starting point was three sequences of three digits
- instructions required ppts to listen carefully and recall digits in same order that the presented
5
Q
age group mean digit span for results 1
A
pre-school (5 years): 3.76
primary school (6-8 years): 4.34
primary school (9-11 years): 5.13
secondary school (12-14 years): 5.46
secondary school (15-17 years): 5.83
6
Q
what did results 1 show?
A
- digit span increased with age
- pre-school children has very low digit span that rises steadily until around 11 years where it slows
- digit span between 15 and 17 years remains stable
7
Q
what did researchers compare results 1 with?
A
- data from Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV: intelligence test for children
- data from this showed digit span increased with age
8
Q
part 2 procedure
A
- wanted to compare findings of children with research they carried out on adults in 2010.
- in 2010, they gathered data about digit spans of healthy older people (25 ppts), those with Alzheimer’s (25 ppts) and those with dementia (9 ppts)
- found that healthy older people had mean digit span of 4.44, Alzheimer’s 4.20, and dementia 4.20
9
Q
results 2
A
- healthy older people had higher digit spans compared to 5 year olds
- healthy older people digit span was similar to that of 7 year olds
- older ppts were not significantly different from other age groups
- comparing healthy older people to Alzheimer and dementia patients showed no significant difference, suggesting that impoverished digit span was consequence of ageing rather than dementias
10
Q
what did they notice in the study?
A
- the Spanish study figures showed average digit span about one digit below the Anglo-Saxon data
- this is because of the word length, there are more sounds in Spanish words so they take longer to say
- length effect: takes more time to sub-vocally repeat and rehearse Spanish words, taking up more space in phonological loop, resulting in lower digit span
11
Q
conclusions of study
A
- digit span increases with age from 5-17 years. however, this study did find spanish population digit span continues to increase up to age 17 whereas anglo-saxon results suggest digit span of 7 (mean average for adult) has been reached by age 15
- comparing findings of research into patients with degenerative neurological disease (Alzheimer’s and dementia) and healthy older people it is possible to speculate from research that poor digit span is result of ageing rather than dementias. (average digit span 7, healthy older people 4.44 and degenerative neurological disease 4.22)
- digit span in spanish population is significantly shorter (about 1 digit less) than Anglo-Saxon culture - probably due to word length effect associated with digits
12
Q
strengths: reliability
A
- researchers can compare data with WISC-IV in Spanish population and other studies, albeit in English. findings from data, English data and WISC-IV data all show very similar pattern in development with digit span increasing up to around 17 years of age. means results ppts are likely to be reliable
- careful controls used in study. digit span task is standard and same procedure used in 2012 study as in 2010 study. digits are presented one per second and there are three trials (sequences). task is carried out in break for all ppts. used spanish children and spanish language which is form of control
- cultural differences in digit span have been reported by other researchers e.g. Ellis + Hennelley 1980 reported poorer digit span in Welsh speaking children compared to English children, largely because Welsh words for digits take longer to pronounce than English digit words
13
Q
strengths: generalisability
A
- large sample size was tested in study allowing findings to be considered reliable and generalisable to the Spanish population. sample any hearing, reading and language impairments, known as diminish digit span which could have affected results
14
Q
strengths: application to real life
A
- digit span tests reliably linked to performance in reading ability and intelligence, suggesting they are good general measure of verbal memory. digits rather than word sequences or sentences are also considered to be culture-free and meaning-free way of measuring pure verbal memory. however, based on cultural differences found, digit may not be the best culture-free determinant of verbal memory capacity.
15
Q
weaknesses: application and validity
A
- digit span experiments are measures of phonological loop proposed by Baddeley + Hitch 1974. however, we rarely use verbal memory to memorise lists of digits in everyday life other than when trying to rehearse a telephone number. everyday verbal memory is used to hold sequences of words in order to comprehend sentences, master new language and aid reading of complex information. therefore, it is open to question whether or not digit span experiments reflect everyday use of verbal memory
