Effects of Education: Short- term Memory, Working Memory, and Fluid Intelligence in Young Children

Abstract

Short- term memory, working memory, and fluid intelligence are cognitive constructs shown to predict academic and professional success. As veritable cornerstones of cognitive functioning, it is critical to understand how these mechanisms relate to each other and how these relationships develop over time. This research reviews behavioral and neural findings concerning the dissociation of short- term memory and working memory, as well as the relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence to provide a better understanding of these constructs. It also uses latent growth curve modeling to examine three possible hypotheses for how the introduction of formal education mediates the interactions between these cognitive infrastructures. By performing relatively complex analysis on data obtained from a Luxembourgish population, this study provides support for the dissociation of short- term and working memory in elementary- aged children, demonstrates the close relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence, and provides an argument for an independent influences hypothesis of cognitive development. This hypothesis suggests that education improves individuals’ cognitive performance at similar rates. In other words, those who start out ahead remain in front and those that begin behind never catch up. This provides important implications for educational policy.