The Memory Performance of Selected Depressed and Nondepressed Nine- to Eleven-Year-Old Male Children

Abstract

Few prior research studies have examined the cognitive functioning of depressed children. The present research determined that selected depressed children have short-term memory processing deficits compared to their nondepressed peers. Overt rehearsal and free recall requirements allowed for direct examination of the effortful process of rehearsal. The major findings of the study indicate that on the average depressed children rehearsed less both in repetition of words and in the size of their rehearsal sets at preselected serial positions. The nondepressed children on the average recalled more words than the depressed children. The present research demonstrates that depressed children have short-memory deficits and thus indicates the need for further research on the characteristics of childhood depression.