The differential role of verbal and visuospatial working memory in mathematics and reading

Objectives Several studies have focused on the role of working memory (WM) in predicting mathematical and reading literacy. Alternative models of WM have been proposed and a modality-dependent model of WM, distinguishing between verbal and visuospatial WM modalities, has been advanced. In addition, the relationship between verbal and visuospatial WM and academic achievement has not been extensively and consistently studied, especially when it comes to distinguishing between mathematical and reading tasks. Method In the present study, we tested a large group of middle school children in several measures of WM, and in mathematical and reading tasks. Results Confirmatory factor analyses showed that verbal and visuospatial WM can be differentiated and that these factors have a different predictive power in explaining unique portions of variance in reading and mathematics. Conclusions Our findings point to the importance of distinguishing between WM modalities in evaluating the relationship between mathematics and reading.