Exploring relationships between working memory and writing: Individual differences associated with gender

• We examined gender differences in relationships between writing and working memory.
• Alphabet transcription, writing fluency and writing quality were measured.
• Associations with visual and verbal short-term and working memory were contrasted.
• Predictors of alphabet transcription and writing fluency varied across gender.
• Group comparisons may obscure more subtle differences in boys' and girls' writing.

Gender differences in the relationships between working memory (short-term storage and combined storage and processing) in both the visuo-spatial and verbal domains and children's alphabet transcription and text writing abilities were investigated. Data from 81 children (43 males) aged between 5;2 to 8;5 revealed no significant group differences between boys and girls in working memory or writing performance. However, individual difference analyses demonstrated variation associated with age and gender in the memory skills underpinning writing. Regression analyses revealed that verbal short-term memory abilities predicted the alphabet transcription skills of boys but not girls. Although visuo-spatial short-term memory predicted writing quality in both genders, predictors of writing fluency differed with verbal working memory skills predicting boys' writing fluency and visuo-spatial short-term memory predicting writing fluency in girls. The need to consider gender differences more critically from the perspective of individual differences in cognitive skills underpinning writing development and the strategic application of these skills during writing is discussed.