The phonological loop and memory for rhythms: an individual differences approach.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between short-term memory for rhythm and the phonological loop in working memory. Results showed that digit span scores significantly correlated with the scores on the rhythmic memory task, and that the correlation between the two scores remained significant even after the common variance with reading speed was partialled out. Partial correlation and regression analyses indicated that the relation between memory for rhythm and digit span scores is mediated by the third component in the phonological loop, the component that is responsible for regulation of timing mechanisms in immediate memory tasks.