Working Memory Functioning in Intellectually Superior Children with Variations in Nature of Distractors and Trait Anxiety Levels

Research with Baddeley's Working Memory Model has identified a host of task-related and emotional factors that interfere with executive functioning of working memory. Substantial research evidences have established that poor working memory skills impair children's abilities to learn during the school years. The present study investigated the effect of nature of distractors on the executive functioning of intellectually superior children with different trait anxiety levels. Eighty intellectually superior children between 7 to 10 years of age were divided in high and low trait anxiety groups. Subjects performed a working memory task: Counting Recall, where the nature of distractors was varied, using software program in a dual task-paradigm. The results confirmed that there is a significant inhibitory effect of distractors on executive functioning of children. The high trait anxious children took longer information processing time, but finally attained similar task-accuracy as low trait-anxious children. The findings of the present study can be utilized to facilitate memorization of children by manipulating the distractors in the environment and to prevent academic failures in arena.