Working memory and its relation to key outcomes in the real world

Imagine someone tells you a phone number which you must remember until you can write it down a few seconds later. Successful completion of this task would rely on "working memory", a system which stores and processes information for tasks that you are currently completing. Working memory is our mental notepad; essential for many everyday activities including decision-making and following instructions. Whilst most people struggle to remember a large amount of information in working memory, approximately one in ten individuals experience particular working memory difficulties. Existing research has demonstrated that children with such difficulties are at risk of performing poorly academically and are often described as inattentive.

There are, however, key limitations in our current understanding. Firstly, although children with poor working memory have been described as inattentive, it is unclear what specific behaviours these children often show (e.g. being easily distracted, frequently making mistakes). Secondly, although working memory difficulties seem to increase the risk of poor educational achievement in childhood, it is not clear whether there are longer-term consequences. For instance, are children with working memory difficulties at risk of poor GCSE outcomes and/or poor employment outcomes in adulthood? We also lack evidence as to how poor working memory affects the behaviours and aspirations of adults. Finally, an important issue is that individuals with poor working memory often remain unidentified, preventing them from receiving support. Although formal working memory assessments exist, these are often only conducted on individuals who are suspected of having poor working memory. This approach is problematic, as research has demonstrated that practitioners (e.g. teachers) are poor at identifying people who may benefit from working memory assessments. Further research is thus needed to establish other ways of identifying such individuals.

These important gaps in existing knowledge prevent us from making recommendations to policymakers or practitioners (e.g. teachers) about how to identify and support individuals with poor working memory. Fortunately, there exists a unique dataset that can be used to address these important gaps in our understanding: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). This study has followed the lives of over 14,000 participants from birth to adulthood. Within the cohort, working memory was assessed during childhood (10 years of age) and adulthood (24 years of age). A wide range of other data are also available, including questionnaire responses and educational outcomes.

This project will use the ALSPAC dataset to examine:
1. What inattentive/hyperactive behaviours do children and adults with poor working memory often show? How does this compare to individuals without poor working memory?
2. Does poor working memory in childhood and adulthood increase the risk of poor outcomes? More specifically, we will examine whether having working memory difficulties in childhood increase the risk of poor academic achievement and poor employment outcomes later in life. We will also investigate whether having working memory difficulties in adulthood increase the risk of poor employment outcomes.
3. If poor working memory does increase the risk of having poor academic and/or employment outcomes, why is this? Do individuals with poor working memory display more inattentive/hyperactive behaviours, which then increases the risk of poor academic/employment outcomes?
4. Can information that schools or adults already have access to (e.g. prior academic achievement) identify individuals who may benefit from formal working memory assessments?

We will then work closely with the Centre for Applied Education Research and Bradford Research School to influence national policy and practice and share our findings widely (e.g. with educational professionals, occupational therapists).