Memory & Cognition, 2000, 28 (3), 341-348.
 
 

Experimental research into children's working memory span has shown that retention duration contributes substantially to span performance, while processing efficiency need not be related to concurrent memory load (Towse, Hitch, & Hutton, 1998). These findings have been used to argue for a model of working memory span that emphasises time-based forgetting rather than the popular resource-sharing or trade-off framework. The present paper considers whether adults perform working memory span tasks in a qualitatively different way. Data from reading span and operation span tasks show that while adults performance can be distinguished from those of children, nonetheless a task-switching model of working memory span can explain some important aspects of performance.