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Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of individual differences in working memory
capacity on number transcoding. A recently proposed model, ADAPT (a developmental
asemantic procedural transcoding model), accounts for the development of number transcoding
from verbal form to Arabic form by two mechanisms: the learning of new production
rules that enlarge the range of numbers a child can transcode and the increase of
the mental lexicon. The working memory capacity of 7-year-olds was evaluated along
with their ability to transcode one- to four-digit numbers. As ADAPT predicts, the
rate of transcoding errors increased when more production rules were required and
when children had low working memory capacity, with these two factors interacting.
Moreover, qualitative analysis of the errors produced by high- and low-span children
showed that the latter have a developmental delay in the acquisition of the production
rules.