Individual differences in working memory abilities in healthy adults

[EN]The goal of this study was to understand the role of individual characteristics such as age, gender and education of healthy adults on working memory abilities, as conceptualized in the central executive, phonological loop, and visuospatial sketchpad. The sample comprised 302 adults aged from 18...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Morais, Rui M, Perea Bartolomé, María Victoria, Ladera Fernández, Valentina, Oliveira, Jorge Alexandre Gaspar, García García, Ricardo Sebastián
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositorio:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/153839
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/153839
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Age
Central executive
Educational level
Gender differences
Phonological loop
Visuospatial sketchpad
Descrição
Resumo:[EN]The goal of this study was to understand the role of individual characteristics such as age, gender and education of healthy adults on working memory abilities, as conceptualized in the central executive, phonological loop, and visuospatial sketchpad. The sample comprised 302 adults aged from 18 to 65 with different educational backgrounds. Participants were submitted to a protocol of established neuropsychological tests that were selected to assess the central executive, phonological loop, and visuospatial sketchpad. The results revealed that these factors influenced working memory abilities differentially. Education level influenced all the three components in the same direction. Individuals with higher academic qualifications have better performance in tests assessing the central executive, phonological loop, and visuospatial sketchpad, whereas age affected performance in the task evaluating the central executive. Age and gender also influenced the performance in tasks related to visuospatial sketchpad in the sense that younger individuals or men reveal better visual and spatial abilities as conceptualized in the visuospatial sketchpad.