The assessment of skill learning in African Children

Procedural memory refers to the long-term memory system subserving the acquisition and retention of skills and habits and relying on a system of brain structures including corticostriatal circuitry. Not only is this system important in gaining new motor skills, but also to the acquisition of skills and habits involved in implicit knowledge of language rules and academic achievements. Although procedural memory plays a fundamental role in development, tasks specifically addressing this system are not commonly included in cognitive batteries developed to study neurodevelopmental factors in children from resource-poor settings. This chapter reviews age-appropriate and culturally sensitive approaches to the measurement of skill learning that involve both paper-and-pencil testing and computer-based assessment and demonstrates their utility and the complimentary information that they bring to neurodevelopmental studies of African children.