Sequential Recall in Individuals With Down Syndrome

Abstract

This study investigated whether memory for item order is selectively impaired in a group of individuals with Down syndrome. The ability to recall correctly ordered information was examined using two auditory tasks—narrative recall (Time 1) and digit span (Time 2)—and a nonverbal, visual task (Time 2) on which mental age (MA) matching was partially determined. Although subjects with Down syndrome recalled significantly less information than MA-matched controls on both auditory tasks, replicating previous findings of auditory memory span deficits, no differences in the ordering of recalled information were found. Nor did the groups differ in the relative frequency of ordering errors in the visual task. Neither a pervasive deficit in sequential processing nor a specific difficulty in recalling the order of information is supported. Altemative accounts are discussed.