Short-term memory and working memory: Two key underlying skills that infl uence learning

The errors in mental calculations that will result from the loss of information in working memory will inevitably provide very poor conditions for the child to acquire number knowledge and rules.

(Gathercole and Alloway, 2008 : 54)

One of the key goals of the test protocol advocated by this book is that each test or task that is included is testing factors that are relevant to learning. Short-term and working memory are key factors in many aspects of mathematics learning.