The Relationship between KBPR and Working Memory in Children with and without Specific Language Disorder: Phonological Loop and Episodic Buffer

Abstract

This study examined whether there is a significant relationship between Korean Brief Parent Report (KBPR) and Working Memory (phonological loop, episodic buffer); and investigated the significant predictor of children's language ability. Methods: A total of 52 children from 4 to 6 years old participated in this study composed of children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI), and typically developing (TD) children. Experimental tasks including KBPR, Non-Word Repetition (NWR), Word List Recall and a Symmetric-Asymmetric Matrix were used. One-way ANOVA, correlational, and multiple stepwise regression analysis were used. Results: 1) There was a significant difference between groups in section B (Current abilities) and C (Behavior patterns and activity preferences). 2) There was a statistically significant difference in phonological loop and linguistic episodic buffer (EB). 3) The correlation between each section score of KBPR and working memory in the TD group showed consistent linguistic sentential order in the EB task with all the other sections except for section A. In the SLI group, section A had correlation with phonological loop, section B had correlation with linguistic EB, and section C had correlation with non-linguistic EB 4) The most significant predictor of the KBPR total score in the TD group was linguistic sentential order EB, and in the SLI group was phonological loop. Conclusion: Both the KBPR score and working memory task competency of the SLI and TD groups showed significant differences. In addition, the meaningful predictor in the total score of KBPR in each group respectively was NWR in the SLI group and linguistic sentential order EB in the TD group.