Comparison of Intelligence based on Short-term Memory Test between Urban and Rural Children

Abstract

Background: Cognitive development occurs during childhood and this development is influenced by various environmental factors such as urban and rural environments which can affect child cognitive development. Short-term memory is very important as the first step in processing new information to do cognitive tasks. The aim of this study was to compare the short-term memory of children coming from an urban and rural area. Methods: A cross-sectional design was performed in this observational analytical study, conducted from September to October 2014 in Jatinangor. Students from elementary school students in an urban and rural area in Jatinangor were selected, using a stratified random sampling method. The Digit Span Forward, Backward, and Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT) were used to measure short-term memory. Mann-Whitney test and independent T-test were used in this research. Results: There was no significant difference in Digit Span Forward score between urban and rural boys (p=0.564); and girls group (p=0.982). On the contrary, Digit Span Backward score among urban boys (p=0.007) and urban girls (p=0.006) was significantly higher compared to those living in the rural areas. Similarly, a significantly higher score of SDMT in the urban areas was found compared to rural for boys (p=0.011) and girls (p=0.026). Conclusions: Intelligence based on a short-term memory test, consisting of Digit Span Backward and Symbol Digit Modality Test, is higher in urban children compared to children in the rural areas.

The Use of Mathematics Comics to Develop Logical-Mathematical Intelligence for Junior High School Students

“…Research on urban and rural school students has been extensively conducted. For instance, Addiniya et al (2019) studied the comparison of intelligence based on short-term memory tests between urban and rural children. The results of the study show that the quality of the method needs to be improved to develop the intelligence of rural students.…”

Comparison of short-term memory between stunting and non-stunting children in urban and rural elementary school students in Kupang 2019

“…17 The research that was conducted by Horiuchi et al 18 in Cambodia in 2018 on the differences of the nutritional status in urban and rural areas of schoolage children found that the children in rural areas had a higher prevalence of stunting than urban areas, this was highly associated with the differences of food intake between the two regions. Another research that was conducted by Addiniya et al 19 in 2014 on the comparison of intelligence based on short-term memory tests in urban and rural students in Jatinangor Region using digit span forward, digit span backward and symbol digit modality tests found that the digit span backward and symbol digit modality tests in children in urban areas were scored higher than those children in rural areas. This shows that stunting rates and short-term memory abilities of elementary school students differ between urban and rural areas.…”