Semantic long-term memory and verbal working memory performance: How does their relationship change with age?

Abstract

Thematic and taxonomic semantic organizations in working memory (WM) performance seem to change during development but is not clear how and when. A sample of 698 participants divided in 5 groups was tested on a new semantic WM task devised to: i) manipulate semantic associations, and ii) test their effect on word recall and intrusion errors. Results indicated that WM performance is modulated by semantic LTM with clear developmental changes. Indeed, we showed that from infancy to 6;11 years, taxonomic and thematic associations exerted similar effects on verbal recall, whereas starting from 7;0 years of age onward, recall was more facilitated by taxonomic associations (than thematic associations). The results provide a more detailed picture of the interactions between semantic organization and WM performance in a developmental context.