The use and validation of the spatial navigation Memory Island test in primary school children

Memory Island (MI) is a human spatial memory assessment, modeled after the Morris water maze, which has been used in adults and the elderly. In this study, we examined whether MI can be used with children and validate the procedure. The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine spatial function with MI in children and (2) determine the associations between MI and other cognitive measures. Seven to 10-year-old children (N = 50) completed MI and a battery of tests of attention, visual-spatial memory, and executive function. Spatial memory, as indicated by the percent time in the target quadrant on MI, was better at age ten relative to ages seven or eight. Target preference also correlated with performance on the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test and Backwards Spatial Span. These findings indicate there is rapid increase in spatial memory between ages nine and ten and that MI is a translational neuroscience paradigm which provides information that complements and extends upon that obtained using other neuropsychological paradigms in children.