Strategy in short-term memory for pictures in childhood: A near-infrared spectroscopy study

►Verbalizable pictures can be processed by phonological loop after recoding. ►We presumed that phonological strategy correlates with memory ability in childhood. ►NIRS monitored the left VLPFC activation reflecting the strategy utilized. ►We demonstrated a correlation between left VLPFC activation and memory ability. ►This indicates greater use of phonological strategy in children with high memory ability.