A Durham University study has found that underachievement in children could be caused by a poor working memory rather than by low intelligence.

Working memory is the capacity to hold information in your head and manipulate it mentally. For instance, you use working memory when you are presented with a math problem orally and you calculate the answer in your head, when you remember a new telephone number or unusual name with no written aids, or when you hold directions for a recipe in your head and follow them while cooking.

Researchers found that 10 percent of the more than 3,000 children in the study suffered poor working memory, which seriously compromised their ability to learn. It’s a staggering problem when you consider that 10 percent of students in primary grades alone in the United States is about half a million children.

So, what happens when the underachiever grows up, gets a job, develops responsibilities, etc.? 

It’s all under the surface.