Digits backward and the children's embedded figures test among school-age Spanish children

Percept Mot Skills. 2008 Dec;107(3):923-32. doi: 10.2466/pms.107.3.923-932.

Abstract

This study examined whether performance on a single working-memory task (Digits Backward) was associated with scores on field-dependence-independence, as measured on the Children's Embedded Figures Test. Four different age groups of children were tested (N=144): 33 8-yr.-olds, 40 9-yr.-olds, 33 10-yr.-olds, and 38 11-yr.-olds. Children were classified into three groups (Field-dependent, Field-independent, and Intermediate) within each age range. Analyses of variance indicated performance on the Digits Backward was significantly higher for the children in the 11-yr.-old group than the youngest group (8-yr.-olds). Children in the Field-independent groups also had significantly higher scores than those in the Field-dependent or Intermediate groups. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mathematics*
  • Psychological Theory
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Spain
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Wechsler Scales
  • Young Adult