The Role of working memory on the performance of Executive functions in students with learning disabilities

Objective: This research was conducted for studying role of working memory on executive functions in students with learning disabilities (LD). Methods: The sample was consisted of 40 students with LD (20 students with impairment in working memory and 20 students without impairment) and 20 students without LD. The research tools were Raven intelligence test, WMTB-C, tower of London and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Results: The results revealed that students with LD having impairments in working memory acquired significantly lower scores on the planning. Results also shows there was no significant difference between learning disability students with impairments in working memory and normal group on the planning. As well as both learning disability groups performed more poorly than normal group on the Flexibility component. Conclusion: This study showed that working memory as a main factor influences on executive function performance in student with learning disabilities.