Abstract
Attention and working memory are cross-domain functions that regulate both behavioural and learning processes. Few longitudinal studies have focused on the impact of these cognitive resources on spelling skills in the early phase of learning to write. This longitudinal study investigates the contributions of attention and working memory processes to spelling accuracy and handwriting speed in 112 primary school children (2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade; age range: 7.6–9.4 years) learning to write in the Italian transparent orthography. Standardised batteries were used to assess their attention and working memory skills, as well as their spelling. Homophone and non-homophone errors were measured, as they may involve different attentional and working memory processes. The results showed that, for 2nd grade children, selective attention shifting, planning, and inhibition predicted non-homophone errors, whereas sequential working memory predicted homophone errors and writing speed was explained by planning and selective attention. In 3rd grade, only homophone errors were predicted by planning and inhibition. No significant relationships were found in 4th grade, nor in the transition across grades. Dynamic and diversified roles of attentional and working memory processes in predicting different writing skills in early primary school years emerged, with a gradual decrease in the attention–writing relationship with age.
Highlights
The development of behavioural and learning skills is underpinned by common general domain processes, such as attention and working memory [1]
We investigated the predictive role of attentional and working memory (WM) skills on spelling accuracy and handwriting speed, in a transparent orthography language system, among primary school children attending 2nd and 3rd grade, followed longitudinally for one year; children in 2nd grade were followed until 3rd grade, while children that were in 3rd grade were followed until 4th grade
This study investigated the roles that different attentional components and working memory play in the process of learning orthography in primary school children attending 2nd or 3rd grade who were followed longitudinally for one year
Summary
The development of behavioural and learning skills is underpinned by common general domain processes, such as attention and working memory [1]. The presence of writing difficulties in children with ADHD has been reported in several studies, which documented the stability of such an association [13], as well as connections between learning difficulties, hyperactive behaviours, and emotional problems in early elementary school [14]. Studies focused on the early stages of formal writing learning could, enrich our understanding of the genesis of later writing difficulties, informing us of the contributions of several cognitive skills, namely attention, executive functions, and working memory, which may represent distal factors contributing to the automatisation of writing [15]
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