Marie-Maude Dubuc1, Mylène Aubertin-Leheudre2, Antony D Karelis3. 1. Department of Biology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, H3C 3P8, Canada. 2. Department of Exercise Science, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, H3C 3P8, Canada. 3. Department of Exercise Science, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, H3C 3P8, Canada. Electronic address: karelis.antony@uqam.ca.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between interference control and working memory with academic performance in both female and male high school students using a longitudinal design. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-seven grade seventh to ninth students (mean age: 13.1 ± 1.0 years old) from a French-Canadian high school located in Montreal, Canada, completed a 3-year prospective study. Interference control (Flanker task), working memory (N-back task) and academic performance (grades in science, mathematics, language and the overall average) were assessed every year during the 3-year study. RESULTS: Female students had significantly higher grades than male students for overall average, science and language at year 1 as well as higher grades for overall average and language at year 3 (p < 0.05). However, no differences were found between genders for any measures of interference control or working memory at year 1 and 3. Furthermore, we noted that the relations between cognitive control with our academic performance measures differ according to gender. Finally, our results showed that neither interference control nor working memory seem to be the primary predictor for any of our academic performance measures in both female and male students. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study indicate that cognitive control measures were not able to explain the gender differences in academic performance. Our results also show that interference control and working memory were weakly related to academic performance and that these associations had a poor ability to predict variations in academic performance during a 3-year period.
INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between interference control and working memory with academic performance in both female and male high school students using a longitudinal design. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-seven grade seventh to ninth students (mean age: 13.1 ± 1.0 years old) from a French-Canadian high school located in Montreal, Canada, completed a 3-year prospective study. Interference control (Flanker task), working memory (N-back task) and academic performance (grades in science, mathematics, language and the overall average) were assessed every year during the 3-year study. RESULTS: Female students had significantly higher grades than male students for overall average, science and language at year 1 as well as higher grades for overall average and language at year 3 (p < 0.05). However, no differences were found between genders for any measures of interference control or working memory at year 1 and 3. Furthermore, we noted that the relations between cognitive control with our academic performance measures differ according to gender. Finally, our results showed that neither interference control nor working memory seem to be the primary predictor for any of our academic performance measures in both female and male students. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study indicate that cognitive control measures were not able to explain the gender differences in academic performance. Our results also show that interference control and working memory were weakly related to academic performance and that these associations had a poor ability to predict variations in academic performance during a 3-year period.
Authors: Andreas Demetriou; George Charilaos Spanoudis; Samuel Greiff; Nikolaos Makris; Rita Panaoura; Smaragda Kazi Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2022-09-29
Authors: Miguel Angel Tapia-Serrano; David Sánchez-Oliva; Javier Sevil-Serrano; Adilson Marques; Pedro Antonio Sánchez-Miguel Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2022-10-05 Impact factor: 4.996