Dynamic Testing of Working Memory in Primary School Children: The impact of Intrinsic Motivation and Gender.

Research on working memory (WM) in school-aged children indicates that personal factors, such as gender and intrinsic motivation, can influence their performance on WM assessments. Typically, WM is evaluated using static measures, which often provide limited understanding of children's cognitive capabilities. In contrast, dynamic testing may offer a deeper insight into these potentials and learning progression. However, there is limited research into WM with DT in TD children in our age range. As such, the current study aimed to assess the applicability of dynamic testing (DT) for investigating working memory (WM) in typically developing Dutch primary school-aged children aged 8 to 9, and to explore the influence of intrinsic motivation (IM) and gender on children's progression in DT of WM. The research was conducted using an experimental pretest-training-post-test design with two conditions with 103 typically developing Dutch primary school children (mean age = 8.5 years, 48,3%...Show moreResearch on working memory (WM) in school-aged children indicates that personal factors, such as gender and intrinsic motivation, can influence their performance on WM assessments. Typically, WM is evaluated using static measures, which often provide limited understanding of children's cognitive capabilities. In contrast, dynamic testing may offer a deeper insight into these potentials and learning progression. However, there is limited research into WM with DT in TD children in our age range. As such, the current study aimed to assess the applicability of dynamic testing (DT) for investigating working memory (WM) in typically developing Dutch primary school-aged children aged 8 to 9, and to explore the influence of intrinsic motivation (IM) and gender on children's progression in DT of WM. The research was conducted using an experimental pretest-training-post-test design with two conditions with 103 typically developing Dutch primary school children (mean age = 8.5 years, 48,3% boys and 51.7% girls). The participants were randomly assigned into two groups based on randomized blocking. The experimental group received a dynamic training between the pre- and post-test measures, whereas the control group did not. The dynamic WM task involved recalling sequences of pictures presented in matrices, with difficulty levels ranging from three to seven items per sequence. Contrary to expectations, children's performance regressed from pretest to post-test. Finally, the effect of IM and gender to progression from pretest to posttest did not significantly affect WM performance across groups. Together these findings highlight the complexity of assessing WM through DT and highlights the need for larger samples and refined methodologies to draw robust conclusions. Insights gained could inform educational strategies tailored to individual cognitive strengths and weaknesses.Show less

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Dynamic Testing of Working Memory in Primary School Children: The impact of Intrinsic Motivation and Gender.