Verbal Short-Term Memory in Down Syndrome: A Problem of Memory, Audition, or Speech?

• Published in: Journal of speech, language, and hearing research Vol. 45; no. 3; pp. 531 - 544
• Main Authors: Jarrold, Christopher, Baddeley, Alan D, Phillips, Caroline E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rockville, MD ASHA 01.06.2002; American Speech Language Hearing Association; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Auditory information processing; Auditory Perception; Auditory Processing; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child clinical studies; Children; Cognitive Processes; Control Groups; Developmental disorders; Down Syndrome; Down Syndrome - complications; Down's syndrome; Downs Syndrome; Female; Humans; Intellectual deficiency; Language Tests; Male; Medical sciences; Memorization; Memory; Memory Disorders - diagnosis; Memory Disorders - epidemiology; Memory Disorders - etiology; Memory, Disorders of; Memory, Short-Term; Middle Aged; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Recall; Receptive Language; Recognition; Short Term Memory; Speech disorders; Speech Disorders - diagnosis; Speech Disorders - epidemiology; Speech Disorders - etiology; Speech Evaluation; Speech Motor Control; Speech Perception - physiology; Speech Production; Stimulus Modality; Verbal ability; Verbal Learning; Verbal short term memory; Verbal Tasks; Visual Processing; Vocabulary Development; Young Adults; United Kingdom; Chromosomal aberration; Human; Short term; Cognitive disorder; Auditory disorder; Aneuploidy; Verbal perception; Down syndrome; Verbal production; Congenital disease; Preadolescent; Articulation; Verbal memory; Hearing; Adolescent
• ISSN: 1092-4388; 1558-9102
• DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2002/042)

The current study explored three possible explanations of poor verbal short-term memory performance among individuals with Down syndrome in an attempt to determine whether the condition is associated with a fundamental verbal shortterm memory deficit. The short-term memory performance of a group of 19 children and young adults with Down syndrome was contrasted with that of two control groups matched for level of receptive vocabulary. The specificity of a deficit was assessed by comparing memory for verbal and visuo-spatial information. The effect of auditory problems on performance was examined by contrasting memory for auditorily presented material with that for material presented both auditorily and visually. The influence of speech-motor difficulties was investigated by employing both a traditional recall procedure and a serial recognition procedure that reduced spoken response demands. Results confirmed that individuals with Down syndrome do show impaired verbal short-term memory performance for their level of receptive vocabulary. The findings also indicated that this deficit is specific to memory for verbal information and is not primarily caused by auditory or speech-production difficulties.