Developmental improvements in the ability to benefit from testing across middle childhood
2024

Developmental Improvements in Memory Testing for Children

Sample size: 77 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Rodríguez-Gonzalo Sandra, Arnaez-Telleria Jaione, Paz-Alonso Pedro M.

Primary Institution: Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL)

Hypothesis

To what extent do age-related improvements in the ability to benefit from the testing effect occur during middle childhood years?

Conclusion

Children's ability to benefit from testing improves from early middle childhood to early adolescence.

Supporting Evidence

  • Children aged 11-14 showed significant benefits from testing compared to younger children.
  • Individual differences in vocabulary and memory were linked to long-term retention in the repeated study group.

Takeaway

As kids grow up, they get better at remembering things when they practice retrieving them instead of just studying them.

Methodology

The study involved 77 children aged 7-14 who learned word pairs using either repeated retrieval or repeated study methods, followed by a recall test two days later.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the exclusion of participants who did not meet learning criteria.

Limitations

The study focused only on Spanish-speaking children and may not generalize to other populations.

Participant Demographics

77 Spanish-speaking children aged 7-14, with a mean age of 11.03 years; 41 females.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1501866

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