scholarly journals Reliable gains? Evidence for substantially underpowered designs in studies of working memory training transfer to fluid intelligence

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Bogg ◽  
Leanne Lasecki
2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter J. Perrig ◽  
Marco Hollenstein ◽  
Stephan Oelhafen

Fluid intelligence is considered as the ability to reason and to solve problems that influence learning in everyday life in both professional and educational settings. Therefore, a possibility to improve this faculty in persons with intellectual disabilities would be of highest interest for education. However, still being debated, many scientist as well as practitioners will agree that it is extremely difficult for these persons to go beyond a certain level of reasoning and to improve their intellectual functioning. This goes together with the consideration of fluid intelligence as a trait with a strong hereditary component that is rather immune to training. Nevertheless, we present in this article the theoretical rationale for successful working memory training as a processual training and as a remedial intervention tool for persons with intellectual deficiencies. This rationale is based on a review of the research on the relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence and the research on far transfer effects in nontrained tasks after training in populations with varying mental capacity. Features and constraints of the training tasks are described that are considered mandatory for a working memory training to be efficient.


2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110395
Author(s):  
Jose A. Rodas ◽  
Ciara Greene

Several studies have reported that cognitive training can lead to improvements of complex mental skills such as intelligence. However, attempts to replicate these findings have not been very successful with many studies reporting lack of transferable effects on cognitive processes unrelated to the training task. On the other hand, transfer effects on cognitive processes closely related to the training task have been more commonly reported. In this study, we investigated the effects of a frequently used working-memory training programme on fluid intelligence and specific executive functions (updating, inhibition, switching, the focus of attention, and sustained attention). We remedied common issues with previous training studies by using an active control group, using more than one instrument to assess each function, and including a larger sample size. The experimental group showed significant improvement in the training task, indicating strong practice effects. However, no evidence of training-specific transfer was found in any of the variables investigated, and we could not find any of the previous improvements reported. Participants in both the training and control group showed post-training improvements in most of the outcome variables, suggesting that practice effects can be found even when a task is only performed twice. We conclude by discussing possible explanations for the differences between our results and those reported in prior studies, and recommend that any claims of improvement should be supported by studies capable of replicating them.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose A. Rodas ◽  
Ciara Greene

Several studies have reported that cognitive training can lead to improvements of complex mental skills such as intelligence. However, attempts to replicate these findings have not been very successful with many studies reporting lack of transferable effects on cognitive processes unrelated to the training task. On the other hand, transfer effects on cognitive processes closely related to the training task have been more commonly reported. In this study, we investigated the effects of a frequently used working-memory training programme on fluid intelligence and specific executive functions (updating, inhibition, switching, the focus of attention, and sustained attention). We remedied common issues with previous training studies by using an active control group, using more than one instrument to assess each function, and including a larger sample size. The experimental group showed significant improvement in the training task, indicating strong practice effects. However, no evidence of training-specific transfer was found in any of the variables investigated, and we could not replicate any of the previous findings reported. Participants in both the training and control group showed post-training improvements in most of the outcome variables, suggesting that practice effects can be found even when a task is only performed twice. We conclude by discussing possible explanations for the differences between our results and those reported in prior studies, and recommend that any claims of improvement should be supported by studies capable of replicating them.


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 2409-2419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler L. Harrison ◽  
Zach Shipstead ◽  
Kenny L. Hicks ◽  
David Z. Hambrick ◽  
Thomas S. Redick ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 809-829
Author(s):  
Marcela M. Alves ◽  
Renata S. Silva

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1498
Author(s):  
Jun PENG ◽  
Lei MO ◽  
Ping HUANG ◽  
Ying ZHOU ◽  
Jing WANG ◽  
...  

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