Do coordinate measures of visual working memory predict verbal and non-verbal intelligence in children aged 7–13 years?

The associations between visual working memory and intelligence have been extensively investigated in adults and children, in particular with the focus of smaller coordinate changes in visual arrays. Research has suggested that the association between coordinate measures of working memory of intelligence is non-existent within an adult context. However, more recent developmental research has suggested a contrast in a younger sample. In a novel use of a change detection protocol, using 90 children aged 7–13 years, the current research aimed to clarify the relationship between a coordinate measure of visual working memory and both verbal and non-verbal intelligence. It was found that the coordinate measure of visual working memory performance was a significant predictor of both verbal and non-verbal intelligence, in particular the 5% changes within the coordinate arrays. Results are discussed in terms of the future use of such visual working memory tasks with a particular emphasis of the use of 5% visual array changes.