Working Memory and Deafness: Implications for Cognitive Development and Functioning

Keehner, Madeleine; Atkinson, J.

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Authors

Keehner, Madeleine

Atkinson, J.

Date

2006

Type

Book Chapter

Metadata

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Citation

Keehner, Madeleine and Atkinson, Joanna. 2006. Working Memory and Deafness: Implications for Cognitive Development and Functioning, in Pickering, Susan J. (ed), Working Memory and Education. San Diego: Academic Press.

Source Title

Working Memory and Education

Faculty

Research Centre for Applied Psychology

Division of Health Sciences

School of Psychology

Remarks

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/40585

Collection

Curtin Research Publications

Abstract

Traditional conceptualizations of working memory (WM) make a number of well-founded assumptions about cognitive phenomena. Visuo-spatial and verbal processes are viewed as separable, and a sound-based phonological code is believed to underlie the processing of language. For deaf individuals, however, the typical assumptions may not apply. Linguistic inputs for deaf children can differ dramatically from the norm, both in modality (as in signed languages) and in quality (as for deaf children exposed exclusively to aural oral language). Such factors affect the development of the cognitive architecture and WM functioning in both verbal and visuo-spatial domains. This chapter reviews evidence pertaining to WM in deaf children and explores potential implications arising from the unique characteristics of the deaf experience.