The evidence regarding whether memory span can be increased through training is contested. Some studies and reviews report specific improvements in working memory capacity and span following targeted training, while other comprehensive meta-analyses conclude that training effects are typically restricted to trained tasks and fail to show broad transfer.
The objective of this meta-analytic review was to systematically assess the effects of working memory training on healthy older adults. We identified 552 entries, of which 27 experiments met our inclusion criteria. The final database included 1130 participants. Near- and far-transfer effects were analysed with measures of short-term memory, working memory, and reasoning. Small significant and long-lasting transfer gains were observed in working memory tasks. Effects on reasoning was very small and only marginally significant. The effects of working memory training on both near and far transfer in older adults were moderated by the type of training tasks; the adopted outcome measures; the training duration; and the total number of training hours. In this review, we provide an updated review of the literature in the field by carrying out a robust multi-level meta-analysis focused exclusively on working memory training in healthy older adults. Recommendations for future research are suggested.
It has been claimed that working memory training programs produce diverse beneficial effects. This article presents a meta-analysis of working memory training studies (with a pretest-posttest design and a control group) that have examined transfer to other measures (nonverbal ability, verbal ability, word decoding, reading comprehension, or arithmetic; 87 publications with 145 experimental comparisons). Immediately following training there were reliable improvements on measures of intermediate transfer (verbal and visuospatial working memory). For measures of far transfer (nonverbal ability, verbal ability, word decoding, reading comprehension, arithmetic) there was no convincing evidence of any reliable improvements when working memory training was compared with a treated control condition. Furthermore, mediation analyses indicated that across studies, the degree of improvement on working memory measures was not related to the magnitude of far-transfer effects found. Finally, analysis of publication bias shows that there is no evidential value from the studies of working memory training using treated controls. The authors conclude that working memory training programs appear to produce short-term, specific training effects that do not generalize to measures of "real-world" cognitive skills. These results seriously question the practical and theoretical importance of current computerized working memory programs as methods of training working memory skills.
It is generally considered that working memory (WM) capacity is limited and that WM capacity affects cognitive processes. Distractor filtering efficiency has been suggested to be an important factor in determining the visual working memory (VWM) capacity of individuals. In the present study, we investigated whether training in visual filtering efficiency (FE) could improve VWM capacity, as measured by performance on the change detection task (CDT) and changes of contralateral delay activity (CDA) (contralateral delay activity) of different conditions, and evaluated the transfer effect of visual FE training on verbal WM and fluid intelligence, as indexed by performance on the verbal WM span task and Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) test, respectively. Participants were divided into high- and low-capacity groups based on their performance in a CDT designed to test VWM capacity, and then the low-capacity individuals received 20 days of FE training. The training significantly improved the group’s performance in the CDT, and their CDA models of different conditions became more similar with high capacity group, and the effect generalized to improve verbal WM span. These gains were maintained at a 3-month follow-up test. Participants’ RSPM scores were not changed by the training. These findings support the notion that WM capacity is determined, at least in part, by distractor FE and can be enhanced through training.
Patients with schizophrenia exhibit poor working memory (WM). Although several subcomponents of WM can be measured, evidence suggests the primary subcomponent affected in schizophrenia is span capacity (WMC). Indeed, the NIMH-funded MATRICS initiative recommended assaying the WMC when assessing the efficacy of a putative therapeutic for FDA approval. Although dopamine D1 receptor agonists improve delay-dependent memory in animals, evidence for improvements in WMC due to dopamine D1 receptor activation is limited. In contrast, the dopamine D2-family agonist bromocriptine improves WMC in humans. The radial arm maze (RAM) can be used to assess WMC, although complications due to ceiling effects or strategy confounds have limited its use. We describe a 12-arm RAM protocol designed to assess whether the dopamine D1-family agonist SKF 38393 (0, 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg) or bromocriptine (0, 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg) could improve WMC in C57BL/6N mice (n=12) in cross-over designs. WMC increased and strategy usage decreased with training. The dopamine D1 agonist SKF 38393 had no effect on WMC or long-term memory. Bromocriptine decreased WMC errors, without affecting long-term memory, consistent with human studies. These data confirm that WMC can be measured in mice and reveal drug effects that are consistent with reported effects in humans. Future research is warranted to identify the subtype of the D2-family of receptors responsible for the observed improvement in WMC. Finally, this RAM procedure may prove useful in developing animal models of deficient WMC to further assess putative treatments for the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
<b>Background:</b> Research on predictors of working memory training responsiveness, which could help tailor cognitive interventions individually, is a timely topic in healthy aging. However, the findings are highly heterogeneous, reporting partly conflicting results following a broad spectrum of methodological approaches to answer the question "who benefits most" from working memory training. <b>Objective:</b> The present systematic review aimed to systematically investigate prognostic factors and models for working memory training responsiveness in healthy older adults. <b>Method:</b> Four online databases were searched up to October 2019 (MEDLINE Ovid, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and PsycINFO). The inclusion criteria for full texts were publication in a peer-reviewed journal in English/German, inclusion of healthy older individuals aged ≥55 years without any neurological and/or psychiatric diseases including cognitive impairment, and the investigation of prognostic factors and/or models for training responsiveness after targeted working memory training in terms of direct training effects, near-transfer effects to verbal and visuospatial working memory as well as far-transfer effects to other cognitive domains and behavioral variables. The study design was not limited to randomized controlled trials. <b>Results:</b> A total of 16 studies including <i>n</i> = 675 healthy older individuals with a mean age of 63.0-86.8 years were included in this review. Within these studies, five prognostic model approaches and 18 factor finding approaches were reported. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies checklist, indicating that important information, especially regarding the domains study attrition, study confounding, and statistical analysis and reporting, was lacking throughout many of the investigated studies. Age, education, intelligence, and baseline performance in working memory or other cognitive domains were frequently investigated predictors across studies. <b>Conclusions:</b> Given the methodological shortcomings of the included studies, no clear conclusions can be drawn, and emerging patterns of prognostic effects will have to survive sound methodological replication in future attempts to promote precision medicine approaches in the context of working memory training. Methodological considerations are discussed, and our findings are embedded to the cognitive aging literature, considering, for example, the cognitive reserve framework and the compensation vs. magnification account. The need for personalized cognitive prevention and intervention methods to counteract cognitive decline in the aging population is high and the potential enormous. <b>Registration:</b> PROSPERO, ID CRD42019142750.
Working memory training can improve the performance of tasks that were not trained. Whether auditory-motor integration for voice control can benefit from working memory training, however, remains unclear. The present event-related potential (ERP) study examined the impact of working memory training on the auditory-motor processing of vocal pitch. Trained participants underwent adaptive working memory training using a digit span backwards paradigm, while control participants did not receive any training. Before and after training, both trained and control participants were exposed to frequency-altered auditory feedback while producing vocalizations. After training, trained participants exhibited significantly decreased N1 amplitudes and increased P2 amplitudes in response to pitch errors in voice auditory feedback. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the degree of improvement in working memory capacity and the post-pre difference in P2 amplitudes. Training-related changes in the vocal compensation, however, were not observed. There was no systematic change in either vocal or cortical responses for control participants. These findings provide evidence that working memory training impacts the cortical processing of feedback errors in vocal pitch regulation. This enhanced cortical processing may be the result of increased neural efficiency in the detection of pitch errors between the intended and actual feedback.
<h4>Introduction</h4>Episodic memory is a cognitive process that allows the recall of experiences, learning, and the pursuit of future goals. During the aging process, episodic memory declines negatively, impacting social and psychological aspects in the elderly. Such intervention strategies as cognitive training are non-pharmacological ways of reducing these losses.<h4>Objective</h4>We systematically reviewed studies of the cognitive training of episodic memory in healthy elderly individuals and elderly individuals with clinical conditions.<h4>Method</h4>We systematically searched the PubMed, PsycNET, Web of Science, and SciELO databases using the descriptors "Episodic Memory" AND "Training" AND "Elderly" OR "Aging" OR "Dementia" in English and translated into Portuguese.<h4>Results</h4>Of the 572 articles that were identified by the search, 23 were included in the final analysis. The main variables that comprised the intervention protocols (i.e., characteristics of the sample, type of control group, mode of episodic memory training, and duration of training) were investigated, as well as the outcome variables, efficacy, and risk of bias. The main results indicated effectiveness with regard to different forms of the cognitive training of episodic memory.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Episodic memory training among the elderly can mitigate the negative effects of cognitive decline in dementia and healthy subjects promoting impacts at social, psychological, and economic levels. Although it is a widely studied topic, further empirical studies on the utility of episodic memory training in healthy elderly individuals and elderly individuals with clinical conditions are still needed.
Background and Objective: Appropriate programs should be provided to improve the function of memory, learning, and the effects of processing efficiency in the daily life of children with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of motor-working memory training and perceptual-motor exercises on digit span and letter-number sequencing in educable children with intellectual disabilities. Materials and Methods: The present study was quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design and two experimental groups and one control group. A total of 30 students with intellectual disabilities between 8-11 years were selected as a statistical sample using the available sampling method and then randomly divided into three groups: motor-working memory training, perceptual-motor activities, and control group. The experimental groups participated in a 16-session training course for two months (two sessions per week) according to specific protocols. Subtests of digit span and letter-number sequencing of the fourth edition of Wechsler intelligence were used to measure working memory. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA, one-way ANOVA , Kruskal–Wallis and Friedman in SPSS software (version 24). Results: The results indicated a significant difference in subtests of digit span of direct, total digit span, and letter-number sequencing between motor-working memory training, and perceptual-motor exercises with the control group (P > 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed between perceptual-motor activities and motor-working training groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, motor-working memory training and perceptual-motor activities improve the function of memory in educable children with intellectual disabilities.
Abstract Visual Attention Span (VAS), defined as the capacity to process multiple visual elements in parallel, is a recognized contributor to reading development. While evidence supports its involvement across languages, its causal role in visually complex orthographies such as Arabic remains underexplored. Arabic’s high visual density and extensive letter similarity, due to diacritics, may amplify attentional demands during early literacy acquisition. This study evaluated Sayyadu-n-niqaat (“The Dots Hunter”), a classroom-based visual-search training designed to strengthen VAS through fine-grained processing of Arabic letter features. Seventy-eight second-grade Moroccan Arabic-speaking children participated in a quasi-experimental pre–post design with intact classrooms (intervention vs. business-as-usual control). Reading accuracy and speed were assessed in vowelized Modern Standard Arabic, and a subsample ( n = 54) completed computerized VAS and single-letter identification threshold (SLIT) measures in Arabic and Latin scripts. After controlling for baseline reading accuracy and key covariates (nonverbal reasoning, phonological awareness, and baseline SLIT), the intervention group showed significantly higher post-test reading accuracy than controls, with no reliable effect on reading speed. Mechanistic analyses identified VAS as the primary locus of change: robust gains were observed in Arabic VAS partial report, whereas improvements in single-letter identification did not differentiate groups. VAS gains were associated with reading accuracy gains. These findings provide converging evidence that strengthening multi-element visual-attentional processing through visual search can support early reading accuracy in Arabic. They further highlight the role of attentional constraints in visually complex orthographies and support VAS as a meaningful target for early reading interventions.
AI-related technologies used in the language industry, including automatic speech recognition (ASR) and machine translation (MT), are designed to improve human efficiency. However, humans are still in the loop for accuracy and quality, creating a working environment based on Human-AI Interaction (HAII). Very little is known about these newly-created working environments and their effects on cognition. The present study focused on a novel practice, interlingual respeaking (IRSP), where real-time subtitles in another language are created through the interaction between a human and ASR software. To this end, we set up an experiment that included a purpose-made training course on IRSP over 5 weeks, investigating its effects on cognition, and focusing on executive functioning (EF) and working memory (WM). We compared the cognitive performance of 51 language professionals before and after the course. Our variables were reading span (a complex WM measure), switching skills, and sustained attention. IRSP training course improved complex WM and switching skills but not sustained attention. However, the participants were slower after the training, indicating increased vigilance with the sustained attention tasks. Finally, complex WM was confirmed as the primary competence in IRSP. The reasons and implications of these findings will be discussed.
the concept that what can be predicted can be prevented. A number of steps can be taken at,the school-wide … memory capacity, especially working memory span, can be increased through training (Comblain, 1994; McNamara … educational prac- tice can be deemed to be evidence-based when it is clearly defined, can be applied with replicable
As a result of considerable potential scientific and societal implications, the possibility of enhancing cognitive ability by training has been one of the most influential topics of cognitive psychology in the last two decades. However, substantial research into the psychology of expertise and a recent series of meta-analytic reviews have suggested that various types of cognitive training (e.g., working memory training) benefit performance only in the trained tasks. The lack of skill generalization from one domain to different ones-that is, far transfer-has been documented in various fields of research such as working memory training, music, brain training, and chess. Video game training is another activity that has been claimed by many researchers to foster a broad range of cognitive abilities such as visual processing, attention, spatial ability, and cognitive control. We tested these claims with three random-effects meta-analytic models. The first meta-analysis (k = 310) examined the correlation between video game skill and cognitive ability. The second meta-analysis (k = 315) dealt with the differences between video game players and nonplayers in cognitive ability. The third meta-analysis (k = 359) investigated the effects of video game training on participants' cognitive ability. Small or null overall effect sizes were found in all three models. These outcomes show that overall cognitive ability and video game skill are only weakly related. Importantly, we found no evidence of a causal relationship between playing video games and enhanced cognitive ability. Video game training thus represents no exception to the general difficulty of obtaining far transfer. (PsycINFO Database Record
Working memory (WM) training in typically developing (TD) children aims to enhance not only performance in memory tasks but also other domain-general cognitive skills such as fluid intelligence. These benefits are then believed to positively affect academic achievement. Despite the numerous studies carried out, researchers still disagree over the real benefits of WM training. This meta-analysis (m = 41, k = 393, N = 2,375) intended to resolve the discrepancies by focusing on the potential sources of within-study and between-study true heterogeneity. Small to medium effects were observed in memory tasks (i.e., near transfer). The size of these effects was proportional to the similarity between the training task and the outcome measure. By contrast, far-transfer measures of cognitive ability (e.g., intelligence) and academic achievement (mathematics and language ability) were essentially unaffected by the training programs, especially when the studies implemented active controls (g ̅ = 0.001, SE = 0.055, p = .982, τ2 = 0.000). Crucially, all the models exhibited a null or low amount of true heterogeneity, wholly explained by the type of controls (non-active vs. active) and statistical artifacts, in contrast to the claim that this field has produced mixed results. Since the empirical evidence shows an absence of generalized effects and true heterogeneity, we conclude that there is no reason to keep investing resources in WM training research with TD children.
Abstract Working memory (WM) training interventions are used to enhance cognitive abilities. Theories about WM emphasize its position as a higher-level cognitive domain with the potential to produce domain-general improvement following training. Although several reviews have focused on WM training effects and their transfer to untrained cognitive tasks, one important aspect remains insufficiently understood: cross-modal transfer, by which WM training in one sensory modality (e.g., vision) improves performance on analogous tasks in another modality (e.g., audition). Such generalization is commonly assumed, but rarely tested. We conducted a systematic review of WM training interventions with pre- and post-training WM assessment, classifying the sensory modalities engaged during training and testing. In total, 342 studies met the inclusion criteria. Almost all studies (99.1%) involved visual and/or auditory engagement. Only seven studies (2.0%) allowed evaluation of cross-modal transfer and were examined using narrative synthesis and descriptive comparison. Results revealed inconsistent and sometimes asymmetrical transfer patterns. These findings highlight cross-modal transfer as an understudied but important aspect of WM training research, potentially orthogonal to the commonly studied within-modality transfer across cognitive domains. The scarcity of appropriate designs and inconsistency of the available findings suggest that modality-general WM training effects cannot be assumed. This has implications for WM theory and claims of cognitive training benefits in multisensory environments outside the laboratory.
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