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Originalia

Das Arbeitsgedächtnis von 4- bis 5-jährigen Kindern

Published Online:January 01, 2008https://doi.org/10.1026/0049-8637.40.1.2

Abstract

Zusammenfassung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der frühzeitigen, möglichst genauen und differenzierten Erfassung von Arbeitgedächtniskompetenzen bei Kindern untersucht. An einer Stichprobe von N = 84 4- bis 5-jährigen Kindern wurden acht verschiedene Aufgaben eingesetzt. Die eine Hälfte der Kinder wurde nach drei Wochen einer Wiederholungsmessung unterzogen, die andere Hälfte absolvierte zusätzlich Aufgaben zur Informationsverarbeitungsgeschwindigkeit und zu globaleren Maßen der kognitiven Leistungsfähigkeit. Die Ergebnisse deuten auf eine zuverlässige, spezifische Messung verschiedener Arbeitsgedächtnisprozesse hin: Die Leistungen der 4-Jährigen ließen sich von denen der 5-Jährigen statistisch abgrenzen, die Test-Retest-Reliabilitäten erwiesen sich als hoch und es ergaben sich differentielle Zusammenhangsmuster zu den externen Messinstrumenten. Die faktorenanalytischen Auswertungen erbrachten eine nicht unbedingt modellkonforme Struktur des Arbeitsgedächtnisses, die auf eine allmähliche Ausdifferenzierung der Teilprozesse mit zunehmendem Alter und zunehmendem Einsatz hindeuten könnte.


Working memory in 4- to 5-year-old children: Theoretical issues and empirical findings

Abstract. In the present study, the precise and reliable assessment of young children’s working memory capacities is investigated. A battery of eight working memory subtests was administered to a sample of N = 84 4- to 5-year-old children. Additionally, tests measuring information processing speed and global intellectual abilities were included in the study. Results showed that it is possible to reliably and precisely measure individual differences in working memory capacities in young children. For all subtests, there were significant age differences between 4- and 5-year-olds and test-retest-reliabilities were generally high. All working memory tasks were significantly related to information processing speed, whereas a differential pattern of associations was found for the global measures of intellectual abilities. Factor analyses did not confirm the expected three-factor solution with an independent executive factor. Results are discussed in terms of an increasing differentiation of the involved processes with age and practice.

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