Laura, O. M. 1 , Lucie, A. 1, 2 , Steve, M. 1, 2 & Arnaud, S. 1
1 Université Catholique de Louvain
2 Université de Liège
Although it is widely assumed that there exists a strong positive link between memory capacity and vocabulary development (VD), the exact short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) mechanisms underlying this association are still poorly understood. According to some research, STM for serial order information plays a crucial role in temporarily maintaining and refreshing the order of phonemes that represent a novel word. Other research shows that LTM is involved in the consolidation of these phoneme sequences, through Hebb repetition learning (HRL). In the current study, we tested 131 six-year-old children on a series of memory tasks, targeting both STM for order- versus item information as well as LTM for serial order though a Hebb task. VD was operationalized through a nonword learning (NWL) task. We hypothesized that STM for serial order information would correlate with performance in the initial stages of NWL, while LTM for serial order (HRL) would be associated with final stages of NWL. Correlation analyses showed that STM for serial order, as opposed to STM for item information is significantly correlated with initial and final stages of NWL. We also observed a significant association between HRL and later stages but not initial stages of NWL.