New evidence for a visuo-spatial cumulative rehearsal strategy in children’s working memory

This study explored the mechanisms involved in maintaining visuo-spatial information in working memory in children aged 4 to 8 years. Two experiments were conducted to determine whether different types of visual aid could support a cumulative visuo-spatial rehearsal strategy, a consolidation mechanism, or the goal maintenance in a complex span task. In Experiment 1, children memorized sequences of locations while assessing the orientation of a teddy bear that appeared in these locations marked by houses. During the interstimulus interval, we implemented four conditions of visual aid: absence of cues, all empty houses remained on screen, only the last empty house remained on screen, or a visual goal cue. Experiment 2 introduced two new conditions, one to support cumulative rehearsal by displaying on screen the houses visited in each interstimulus interval, and another with an auditory-verbal goal cue. Visual aids, particularly when presented cumulatively, substantially enhanced recall performance. On the contrary, aids designed to support consolidation or goal maintenance did not yield a substantial increase in span scores. The study underscores the potential of cumulative visual supports in improving visuo-spatial working memory performance in children, while also offering insights into the roles of consolidation and goal maintenance.