Language proficiency and metacognition as predictors of spontaneous rehearsal in children.

Abstract

Despite decades of research on fundamental memory strategies such as verbal rehearsal, the potential underlying skills associated with the emergence of rehearsal are still not fully understood. Two studies examined the relative roles of language proficiency and metamemory in predicting rehearsal use, as well as the prediction of metamemory performance by language proficiency. In Study 1, 59 children, 5 to 8 years old, were administered a serial recall task, 2 language measures, a nonverbal cognitive measure, and a rapid automatized naming (RAN) task. Language proficiency, RAN, and age were significant individual predictors of rehearsal use. In hierarchical regression analyses, language proficiency mediated almost completely the age → rehearsal use relation. In addition, automatized naming was a strong but partial mediator of the contribution of language proficiency to rehearsal use. In Study 2, 54 children were administered a metamemory test, a language measure, and a serial recall task. Metamemory skills and, again, language proficiency significantly predicted rehearsal use in the task. The predictive strength of metamemory skills was mediated by the children's language proficiency. The mutually supportive roles of automatized naming, language, and metamemory in the emergence of spontaneous cumulative verbal rehearsal are discussed in the context of the resulting model, along with the minimal roles of age and aspects of intelligence.

Spontaneous strategy use in children with autism spectrum disorder: the roles of metamemory and language skills

“…Additionally, given the links between metamemory and language, we sought to examine the role that language proficiency plays for those with ASDs. In an earlier study examining the relationship among language proficiency, metamemory function and strategy use in TD children, we found that language proficiency was a strong predictor of strategy use, and also accounted for the relationship between metamemory and strategy use (Bebko et al, 2014). We expect that children with ASDs will display a similar pattern of results when language proficiency and metamemory knowledge are used as predictors of rehearsal and memory performance.…”

“…Since a delay or lack of language acquisition is a common feature in ASD (indeed, it is often the first recognized symptom; Lord and Luyster, 2009), it is not surprising that the acquisition of language-based memory strategies would correspondingly be delayed. Bebko et al (2014) proposed a model in which they argued more generally that chronological age should be regarded as more of a summary descriptor variable than a predictor. That is, age is simply a stand-in that marks the typical development of underlying skills, such as language proficiency and metamemory, and it is these skills that are more specifically related to the development of rehearsal strategies and the subsequent benefits to recall performance.…”

“…That is, age is simply a stand-in that marks the typical development of underlying skills, such as language proficiency and metamemory, and it is these skills that are more specifically related to the development of rehearsal strategies and the subsequent benefits to recall performance. This de-emphasis on age and a further focus on the underlying precursors of strategy use is particularly pertinent for special populations, for whom chronological age is often delinked from the development of these underlying predictors (Bebko et al, 2014). …”

“…Metamemory refers to the awareness of one’s own memory, including the processes by which individuals are able to reflect on their memory skills, and the manner by which they use this knowledge to regulate their learning (e.g., Flavell, 1979; Bebko et al, 2014). Bebko and Luhaorg (1998) suggest that children’s growing awareness of their own memory skills and limitations allows them to understand more clearly the role of strategies in assisting recall on difficult tasks.…”

“…Cavanaugh and Borkowski (1979) found that metamemory can play an important role in the successful training of rehearsal strategies, and it can predict the maintenance of trained rehearsal strategies. In general, metamemory knowledge has been linked to the spontaneous use of rehearsal strategies in TD children (e.g., Weed et al, 1990; Short et al, 1993; Bebko et al, 2014), although findings have been somewhat equivocal across studies.…”