Working memory in school-aged children: Exhibition intervals and distracters effects in Memonum computerized test/Memoria de trabajo en ninos escolarizados: efecto de intervalos de presentacion y distractores en la prueba computarizada Memonum/Memoria de trabalho em criancas em idade escolar: Efeitos de intervalos de apresentacao e distracao no teste computadorizado Memonum

This study assessed visual working memory through Memonum computerized test in schoolchildren. The effects of three exposure times (1, 4 and 8 seconds) have been evaluated, and the presentation of a distractor on the mnemonic performance in the test Memonum in 72 children from a college in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga, Colombia, aged between 8 and 11 in grades third, fourth and fifth grade. It has been found significant difference regarding the exposure time in the variables number of hits and successes accumulated, showing a better mnemonic performance in participants who took the test during 8 seconds compared to children who took the test during 1 second; in addition, the presence of a distractor showed a significant difference regarding the strengths and successes accumulated. Such distractor is considered a stimulus generator interference that disrupts the storage capacity of working memory in children. Additionally, a significant difference was found with respect to the use of mental rehearsal strategy, indicating that participants who took the test in 4 and 8 seconds, respectively, assigned higher scores than children who took the test in 1 second. A long exposure time to stimuli during Memonum test increases the holding capacity. Also, the use of a distractor affects the storage capacity and this, at the same time, increases the school progression due to the use of mnemonic strategies that children use to ensure the memory of the numerical series. Keywords: working memory, Memonum computerized test, exhibition intervals, distracter, child neuropsychology. La presente investigacion evaluo la memoria de trabaj o visual a traves de la prueba computarizada Memonum en ninos escolarizados. Se evaluaron los efectos de tres tiempos de exposicion (1, 4 y 8 segundos) y de la presentacion de un distractor sobre el desempeno mnemonico en la prueba Memonum en 72 ninos pertenecientes a un colegio del area metropolitana de Bucaramanga, Colombia, con edades entre 8 y 11 anos de los grados tercero, cuarto y quinto de primaria. Se encontro una diferencia significativa entre los tiempos de exposicion en las variables numero de aciertos y aciertos acumulados, demostrando un mejor desempeno mnemonico en los participantes que presentaron la prueba en el tiempo de 8 segundos en comparacion con los ninos pertenecientes al grupo de 1 segundo; ademas, la presencia del distractor demostro una diferencia significativa en los aciertos y aciertos acumulados, considerand