James H. Smith?Spark|John E. Fisk|Angela J. Fawcett|Roderick I. Nicolson
Investigating the central executive in adult dyslexics: Evidence from phonological and visuospatial working memory performance
University of Kent|Liverpool John Moores University|University of Sheffield|University of Sheffield
longstanding evidence verbal working memory impairments children adults dyslexia contrast spatial memory appears largely unimpaired attempt distinguish phonological central executive accounts impairments working memory set phonological spatial working memory tasks designed investigate key issues working memory task type task demands static dynamic updating task complexity significant differences emerged dyslexic nondyslexic participants verbal working memory tasks employed experiment 1 thereby providing evidence continuing dyslexic impairments working memory adulthood nature deficits suggested problem phonological loop little evidence implicate impairment central executive due difficulties associated separating verbal working memory phonological processing however performance investigated experiment 2 using visuospatial measures working memory results visuospatial tasks indicated betweengroup differences static spatial memory requires shortterm storage simultaneously presented information almost conditions betweengroup differences dynamic spatial memory demands recall location order stimuli presented sequentially however significant impairment occurred dynamic task high memory updating load dyslexic adults showed nonphonological working memory deficits absence explanation involving verbal recoding finding interpreted terms central executive automaticity impairment dyslexia