ABSTRACT
Broadly conceived, working memory is associated with the cognitive structures and processes involved in temporarily storing and manipulating information as different types of cognitive tasks are performed (see Baddeley, 1986; Baddeley & Hitch, 1994; Schneider & Detweiler, 1987). Since the 1980s considerable progress has been made at both conceptualizing the role of working memory in development and learning and in investigating numerous age-related differences that emerge across a wide range of tasks (see, e.g., Salthouse, 1990, 1994). At one end of the developmental continuum, working-memory capacity has been reported to increase with age (e.g., Case, Kurland, & Goldberg, 1982; Chi, 1976, 1978), whereas, at the other end, working-memory capacity and/or efficiency has been reported to decrease with age (e.g., Gick, Craik, & Morris, 1988; Morris, Gick, & Craik, 1988; Salthouse, 1990; Salthouse & Babcock, 1991).
