The mediating role of working memory quality in the relationship between sleep habits and children's working memory capacity

Working memory plays a crucial role in high-level cognitive processes such as reasoning, problem solving, intelligence and language comprehension.The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of working memory quality in the relationship between sleep habits and children's working memory capacity.

The research design was correlational. The statistical population consisted of all students studying in the creativity centers and kindergartens of district one of Tehran city in the year 17-2016. The sample consisted of 60 children who were selected using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler Preschool Children Scale. SPSS 22 and Lisrel 8.54 and Pearson correlation and path analysis were used for data analysis.

Findings showed that the direct pathway of sleep hapits disorder, sleep behavior disorder, night wake disorder, daily sleep disorder, except morning wake disorder, had significant effect on the quality of working memory. The direct path of sleep habits disorder and morning wake disorder to the amount of working memory was significant but sleep behavior disorder, night wake disorder and daily sleep disorder to the amount of working memory was not significant. Evaluation of indirect pathways also showed that among sleeping habits, only impairment of sleeping habits indirectly mediates the quality of working memory affecting the amount of working memory.

The quantity and quality of sleep in children should be emphasized in order to improve cognitive functions, especially working memory.