The Way We Learn the Knowledge That Dominates All Other Knowledge

This experiment examined how knowledge of memory strategies improves during childhood and what variables are involved in this development. Three main aspects of metamemory knowledge were assessed and compared with the performance of a group of 80 children (aged 4, 6, and 11) on a battery of executive tasks. At the same time, the influence of variables such as intelligence, vocabulary and parental education level was also investigated. Results showed that executive functions of inhibition and working memory were single predictors of internal strategy knowledge for 6- and 11-year-old children, but did not predict external strategy knowledge or children’s general knowledge of memory functioning. Additionally, verbal fluency predicted internal and external strategy knowledge. Implications for general learning theories in childhood are discussed.