Research article summary (published 30 Jan 2004):

Verbal short-term memory in Down's syndrome: an articulatory loop deficit?

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: Verbal short-term memory, as measured by digit or word span, is generally impaired in individuals with Down's syndrome (DS) compared to mental age-matched controls. Moving from the working memory model, the present authors investigated the hypothesis that impairment in some of the articulatory loop sub-components is at the base of the deficient maintenance and recall of phonological representations in individuals with DS. METHODS: Two experiments were carried out in a group of adolescents with DS and in typically developing children matched for mental age. In the first experiment, the authors explored the reliance of these subjects on the subvocal rehearsal mechanism during a word-span task and the effects produced by varying the frequency of occurrence of the words on the extension of the word span. In the second experiment, they investigated the functioning of the phonological store component of the articulatory loop in more detail. RESULTS: A reduced verbal span in DS was confirmed. Neither individuals with DS nor controls engaged in spontaneous subvocal rehearsal. Moreover, the data provide little support for defective functioning of the phonological store in DS. CONCLUSIONS: No evidence was found suggesting that a dysfunction of the articulatory loop and lexical-semantic competence significantly contributed to verbal span reduction in subjects with DS. Alternative explanations of defective verbal short-term memory in DS, such as a central executive system impairment, must be considered.

Author information

Author/s: Vicari, S (S); Marotta, L (L); Carlesimo, G A (GA);

Affiliation: IRCCS, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Santa Marinella, Rome, Italy IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy. vicari(-atsign-)opbg.net

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR (J Intellect Disabil Res), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2004-Feb; vol 48 (issue Pt 2) : pp 80-92

Dates: Created 2004/01/15; Completed 2004/07/19; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 14723651, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent Articulation Disorders - diagnosis; psychology Child Child, Preschool Down Syndrome - diagnosis; psychology Female Humans Male

Male Memory, Short-Term Phonetics Practice (Psychology) Reference Values Semantics Serial Learning Speech Perception

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