INVESTIGATION OF FUNCTIONAL WORKING MEMORY IN THE READING SPAN TEST

Two issues were investigated in 2 experiments: (a) the validity of a reading span test that combined a knowledge verification task with a secondary task of word memorization and (b) the hypothesis that word recall reflects the amount of working memory that is functional in reading. In Experiment 1 the validity and reliability of the reading span measure were determined. In Experiment 2 it was reasoned that if word recall reflected functional working memory in reading, then 2 results should be observed. The first predicted result was that prior exposure to sentences used in the reading span test would release working memory resources and improve word recall. The second was that word recall, though correlated with general working memory and verbal knowledge measures, would add to these scores in predicting comprehension. Both sets of results were obtained, supporting the hypothesis that the reading span test measures functional working memory in reading.