The Importance of Sequencing as an Aspect of Short-Term Memory in Good and Poor Spellers

Abstract

Memory tasks administered individually to grade one and grade four good and poor spellers were scored for both gross and ordered sequential recall. Good spellers were found to have higher threshold scores in gross memory rather than specifically superior sequential memory. Although Memory for Digits (grade one) and Memory for Pictures (at both levels) did not discriminate between good and poor spellers, good spellers were superior in all verbal linguistic short-term memory tasks. A sequentially related factor did appear to mediate for the good spellers, but it involved an ability to exploit internalized sequential constraints of overlearned verbal linguistic material rather than an ability to echo stimuli.