Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28102493›Full record

SynthesisNeuropsychology review2017

A Meta-Analysis of Working Memory Impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Ya Wang, Yi-Bing Zhang, Lu-Lu Liu, Ji-Fang Cui, Jing Wang, David H K Shum, Therese van Amelsvoort, Raymond C K Chan

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neuropsychology review, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 113 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
113citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
9.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

113 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 234 citations in OpenAlex.

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  13. Cognitive Aging Patterns in Autism: Parallel, Accelerated, or Safeguarded?Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Autism Symptom Presentation and Hierarchical Models of Intelligence.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026
    Article
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  20. Article

53 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.

Ya WangNeuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China. wangyazsu@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0001-5764-6740
Yi-Bing ZhangDepartment of Youth Work, China Youth University for Political Sciences, Beijing, China.
Lu-Lu LiuNeuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
Ji-Fang CuiNational Institute of Education Sciences, Beijing, China.
Jing WangDepartment of Youth Work, China Youth University for Political Sciences, Beijing, China.
David H K ShumMenzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Therese van AmelsvoortDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Raymond C K ChanNeuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences · CNChina Youth University for Political Sciences · CNGriffith University · AUMaastricht University · NLNational Institute of Education Sciences · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by executive dysfunction, and working memory (WM) comprises one core component of executive function. Many studies have investigated WM impairments in individuals with ASD, however, a conclusive agreement has not been reached. The present study provided a meta-analytic review of WM impairments in individuals with ASD and evaluated potential moderating variables of this problem. Twenty-eight studies were included in this study, and the participants comprised 819 individuals with ASD and 875 healthy controls. A significant WM impairment (Cohen's d = -0.61) was identified in the individuals with ASD, however, this impairment was not associated with age. Results of moderation analyses showed that (a) spatial WM was more severely impaired than verbal WM and (b) the component of cognitive processing (maintenance vs. maintenance plus manipulation) did not affect the severity of WM impairments. These findings suggest that WM is impaired in individuals with ASD and may have implications for interventions related to WM impairments in these individuals.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderHumansMemory DisordersMemory, Short-TermNeuropsychological TestsAutism spectrum disordersMeta-analysisModeratorWorking memory

Identifiers

PMID28102493
OpenAlexW2574895253

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.