ABSTRACT
In recent years, a great deal of progress has been made in understanding the relationship between short-term memory functions and language processing. It has become apparent that both are highly dependent on the creation, organisation, and maintenance of phonological representations. In children, the ability to perform STM tasks that require phonological skills are good predictors of language development, as indexed by vocabulary scores or reading ability (Gathercole & Baddeley, 1993). Neuropsychological evidence also underlines this linkage, with many reported cases in which impairment of language functions are associated with STM deficits.
