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. 2025 Sep 29:10.1037/jpn0000017.
doi: 10.1037/jpn0000017. Online ahead of print.

Children with typical development or Down syndrome benefit from testing versus restudy of arbitrary event sequences across long-term delays and in the face of sleep disturbance

Kmo Hughes  1 , S Sakhon  2 , A Reichsfeld  2 , A Luongo  2 , B Barness  2 , K Bottrill  2 , N R Lee  3 , L Abbeduto  4 , A J Thurman  4 , J O Edgin  5
Affiliations

Children with typical development or Down syndrome benefit from testing versus restudy of arbitrary event sequences across long-term delays and in the face of sleep disturbance

Kmo Hughes et al. J Pediatr Neuropsychol. .

Abstract

Improved memory after prompted retrieval, also known as the testing effect, is evidenced in adults to support long term memory, but rarely examined in children in pre-school or with intellectual disabilities, such as Down syndrome (DS). This study examined episodic memory across one-month, manipulating the presentation of episodic information to compare testing versus restudy of arbitrary event sequences, and the effect of sleep variables. Retrieval rates were compared at 5-minute and one-month delays in 52 children with DS (aged 6-18, 27 male, 24 White) compared to 59 children with typical development (aged 3-7, 23 male, 35 White). A single test improved recall in the DS group over long term delays, this is a novel finding and relevant to real-life and classroom experiences.

Keywords: Development; Episodic Memory; Sleep; Testing.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example sequence.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Study design
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Recall by condition based on whether sequences were immediately tested or not, by group (MMP= pause, MMM= restudy, MMT= test). (Error bars= SEM)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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