According to a new research, defects in the brain's temporary storage bin, the working memory, could explain why one child fails consistently in math and another is lost when taking up history.

British researchers have found out that ten percent of school age children may suffer from poor working memory. The working memory enables people to hold and configure items in their minds, such as telephone numbers, passwords, and grocery lists.

Dr. Tracey Alloway from the Durham University compared the working memory to a box. A normal adult probably has three to five items items. If there are more than the allocated space, people will have a tendency to forget something in the working memory.

Furthermore, Alloway said that the working memory is a way to measure a child's potential. She added that some psychologists consider working memory as the new IQ since it is the single most important predictor of learning.

Don't think that everything is over since this predicament can be helped. Nelson Cowan, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Missouri, said that, "Since there is this limit, it is important to put in the right thing. Irrelevant information will clutter up working memory."