2-year-olds who have a good memory are more likely to be successful in school. Stimulate working memory, could limit school dropout in the long term.
Boost the memory of toddlers to ensure their academic success. This is the advice given by Canadian researchers at Concordia, Sainte-Anne and Montreal universities in a study published a few days ago. The results were presented in the scientific journal Intelligence.
To reach this conclusion, the study evaluated 1,824 children, participating in the cohort Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, at the ages of two and a half, then three and a half.
The team analyzed their behaviors and their academic performance at the age of 12. And the results are final. They show that children who score well on working memory tasks during early childhood are more likely to be successful in school afterwards. Conversely, those who score poorly at ages 2 and 3 are more likely to drop out at 12, and not attend high school, regardless of their IQ and parents’ socioeconomic status. .
No more repetitions
“Our results suggest that individual differences in working memory at a young age may contribute to the risk of dropping out of high school, given school engagement, grade point average, and prior repetition. a class, if applicable, ”says Caroline Fitzpatrick, a researcher at Concordia University and lead author of the study.
“These factors make it possible to identify students aged 12 who are likely to drop out of high school before the age of 21,” she adds.
But faced with these data, which may worry parents, the team of scientists is not fatalistic. She encourages parents to intervene as soon as possible. “Toddlers can, for example, exercise their working memory by playing pretend with other children, as this activity involves them remembering their own role and those of others,” says Linda Pagani, from the University of Montreal.
Same benefit with “executive function” improvement exercises, such as the ability to follow directions and inhibit one’s behavior to complete a task, according to Fitzpatrick.
Is mindfulness meditation beneficial?
In addition, the authors also believe that the track of “mindfulness” meditation with toddlers could improve working memory because it helps children concentrate. Smartphones, tablets, television and video games should be used sparingly. Limiting the time spent in front of screens would also be a good strategy to avoid damaging cognitive functions, and therefore memory. Instead, specialists recommend toddlers to play football, basketball or skateboard, to boost concentration and memory.
Finally, for parents looking for the quick fix, know that “there is no diagnostic test for working memory, but problems are easily detected. We are talking about children for whom information comes in with one ear and leaves the other, ”concludes Dr Caroline Fitzpatrick.
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