Working memory in young children: A pilot study on the gender-mediated effect of Touch Screen Device use

Objective: To investigate a possible gender-mediated relation between the use of Touch Screen Devices (TSDs), such as smartphones and tablets, and the performance on a visuospatial working memory task in children aged 5-11.Methods: Thirty-eight children from a Dutch primary school participated in the Corsi Block-Tapping Task and were systematically interviewed about their TSD use. Multilevel analyses and linear regression analyses were used to model effects on three outcomes: odds of reproducing a sequence correctly, Corsi Span, and cumulative score.Results: Moderate to high TSD use significantly decreases the odds of reproducing a sequence correctly for girls (OR = 0.21), but significantly increase the odds for boys (OR = 3.50). Additionally, there are strong indications that moderate to high TSD use is related to an increase in the Corsi Span (T = -1.978, p = .057) and the cumulative score (T = -2.985, p = .005) in boys, but not in girls. Conclusion: Despite the small study sample, it seems to be justified to conclude that there is a gender-mediated relation between TSD use and working memory in young children. The practical relevance of these findings and the importance of more research in this field are discussed.