How robust is the link between working memory for serial order and lexical skills in children?

Abstract

The link between verbal working memory (WM) and vocabulary development has been explored extensively. At the same time, the vast majority of studies in this field used lexical tasks that generally involved a high WM demands, leading to an unclear understanding of this link. The present study re-explored the link between WM for serial order, WM for item information and lexical abilities by administering, to 92 children aged 4-to-6 years, both standard receptive vocabulary tasks with a high WM demands and single picture naming tasks with minimal WM demands. Analyses provided strong evidence for a specific link between serial order WM and both vocabulary measures, with a particularly important link with the rare noun subtask and the absence of link with verbs. These results suggest that the link between lexical abilities and verbal WM in young children is robust and not inflated by the WM demands of specific vocabulary tasks.