Romano, Daniel R.Kronenberger, William G.Henning, Shirley C.Montgomery, Caitlin J.Ditmars, Allison M.Johnson, Courtney A.Bozell, Hannah D.Yates, Adeline D.Pisoni, David B.2023-07-052023-07-052021Romano DR, Kronenberger WG, Henning SC, et al. Verbal Working Memory Error Patterns and Speech-Language Outcomes in Youth With Cochlear Implants. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2021;64(12):4949-4963. doi:10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00114https://hdl.handle.net/1805/34112Purpose: Verbal working memory (VWM) delays are commonly found in prelingually deaf youth with cochlear implants (CIs), albeit with considerable interindividual variability. However, little is known about the neurocognitive information-processing mechanisms underlying these delays and how these mechanisms relate to spoken language outcomes. The goal of this study was to use error analysis of the letter-number sequencing (LNS) task to test the hypothesis that VWM delays in CI users are due, in part, to fragile, underspecified phonological representations in short-term memory. Method: Fifty-one CI users aged 7-22 years and 53 normal hearing (NH) peers completed a battery of speech, language, and neurocognitive tests. LNS raw scores and error profiles were compared between samples, and a hierarchical regression model was used to test for associations with measures of speech, language, and hearing. Results: Youth with CIs scored lower on the LNS test than NH peers and committed a significantly higher number of errors involving phonological confusions (recalling an incorrect letter/digit in place of a phonologically similar one). More phonological errors were associated with poorer performance on measures of nonword repetition and following spoken directions but not with hearing quality. Conclusions: Study findings support the hypothesis that poorer VWM in deaf children with CIs is due, in part, to fragile, underspecified phonological representations in short-term/working memory, which underlie spoken language delays. Programs aimed at strengthening phonological representations may improve VWM and spoken language outcomes in CI users.en-USPublisher PolicyCochlear implantsDeafnessShort-term memorySpeechArticle