Sebastion and Hernandez Gil

Question 1

What were the aims of the study?

Answer 1

• To study the developmental patterns of working memory over time, including changes from ageing or dementia.
• To investigate whether language affected digit span
• To analyse the development of pattern of the phonological loop in children aged 5-17 years old.
• To investigate whether digit span declines in older people, including those with two types of dementia: Alzheimer, fronto-temporal dementia

Question 2

What was the independent variable?

Answer 2

• the addition of a digit everytime they recalled the order correctly

Question 3

What was the dependent variable?

Answer 3

• How many digits were recalled in the correct order

Question 4

What was the type of experiment?

Answer 4

• lab experiment

Question 5

What was the sample like?

Answer 5

First condition
- 5-17 year old
- 570 volunteers
- Spanish
- various schools from Madrid

Second condition
- 9 fronto- temporal dementia patients
- 25 healthy older ppts
- 25 Alzheimer patients

Question 6

What type of data was collected for the first condition?

Answer 6

• primary data

Question 7

What type of data was collected for the second condition?

Answer 7

• secondary data

Question 8

What did Sebastion Hernadex Gil check for in ppts?

Answer 8

• That no ppts had repeated the school year, learning difficulties such as reading or writing or hearing

Question 9

What was the procedure/method?

Answer 9

• 570 volunteers
• Participants were split into 5 age groups, this covered 13 year groups
• Each condition consisted of different ages
• the digit span was measured
• Ppts were tested individually in their break time.
• Sequence of digits were read aloud, one per second.
• Each time a ppts fot the sequence right (the right digits in the right order), another digit was added to increase the span, ppts tried again
• they started with 3 sequences of 3 digits
  instruction required ppts to listen carefully and recall the digits in the same order as presented
• the digit span was the number of digits in the sequence where they recalled at least 2/3 sequences correctly.

Question 10

What were the results?

Answer 10

• Digit span increased from 3.7(5) to 5.9(17) due to significant increase from age 5-5(4.6), learn that the age of 7 you can subvocally recall
• Results showed digit span increased with age
• age 5 had a low digit span - 3.76 as the mean
• Alzheimer’s had a digit span of 4.2
• healthy ppts - 4.4

Question 11

What were the conclusions?

Answer 11

• Digit span increases with age, until age 15
• adult span is about 7 digits
• sub vocally rehearsal does not start until the age of 7.
• Digit span is affected by age, not dementia
• the capacity of the phonological loop seems to be affected by age and not dementia

Question 12

What were the controls?

Answer 12

1. Not repeated the school year
2. Hearing impairments
3. Reading and writing difficulties

Question 13

How many sequences needed to be correct to add another digit? How many digits were added each time to ppts got the sequence correct?

Answer 13

• They needed to get 2 out of 3 sequences correct to add another digit
• 1 digit was added each time the ppts got the sequence correct