Do preschool children have modality specific recall abilities? - A cross-sectional pilot study

Little is explored regarding the modality-specific differences in recall abilities of preschool children. Understanding modality-specific differences in the recall at an early age might give an insight into age-linked trends, which can lay a foundation for later development. The current study used a cross-sectional design to investigate the modality-specific differences in recall abilities of preschool children using a story and story stimulus. A total of 20 typically developing children between the ages of 3.6 to 5.5 years were presented with a story followed by a story recall task across auditory, visual, and auditory-visual modalities to determine modality-specific recall abilities. The results were analyzed using mixed ANOVA, which revealed higher recall ability in the auditory-visual modality than in other modalities. The findings are explained based on Dual coding theory, Multimedia effect, Mental imagery skills, Visual superiority effect, Attentional behavior, and Comprehension skill. The study implies the importance of Auditory-Visual modality in facilitating better recall in story-based tasks among preschool children.