Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence
Fluid intelligence is important for successful functioning in the modern world, but much evidence suggests that fluid intelligence is largely immutable after childhood. Recently, however, researchers have reported gains in fluid intelligence after multiple sessions of adaptive working memory trainin...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Public Library of Science
2013
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79794 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9198-6535 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1158-5692 |
| _version_ | 1811083174501941248 |
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| author | Thompson, Todd Wesley Waskom, Michael L. Garel, Keri-Lee Alyson Cardenas-Iniguez, Carlos Reynolds, Gretchen O. Winter, Rebecca Chang, Patricia Pollard, Kiersten Lala, Nupur Alvarez, George A. Gabrieli, John D. E. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Thompson, Todd Wesley Waskom, Michael L. Garel, Keri-Lee Alyson Cardenas-Iniguez, Carlos Reynolds, Gretchen O. Winter, Rebecca Chang, Patricia Pollard, Kiersten Lala, Nupur Alvarez, George A. Gabrieli, John D. E. |
| author_sort | Thompson, Todd Wesley |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Fluid intelligence is important for successful functioning in the modern world, but much evidence suggests that fluid intelligence is largely immutable after childhood. Recently, however, researchers have reported gains in fluid intelligence after multiple sessions of adaptive working memory training in adults. The current study attempted to replicate and expand those results by administering a broad assessment of cognitive abilities and personality traits to young adults who underwent 20 sessions of an adaptive dual n-back working memory training program and comparing their post-training performance on those tests to a matched set of young adults who underwent 20 sessions of an adaptive attentional tracking program. Pre- and post-training measurements of fluid intelligence, standardized intelligence tests, speed of processing, reading skills, and other tests of working memory were assessed. Both training groups exhibited substantial and specific improvements on the trained tasks that persisted for at least 6 months post-training, but no transfer of improvement was observed to any of the non-trained measurements when compared to a third untrained group serving as a passive control. These findings fail to support the idea that adaptive working memory training in healthy young adults enhances working memory capacity in non-trained tasks, fluid intelligence, or other measures of cognitive abilities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T12:26:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/79794 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T12:26:47Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/797942022-09-28T08:01:16Z Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence Thompson, Todd Wesley Waskom, Michael L. Garel, Keri-Lee Alyson Cardenas-Iniguez, Carlos Reynolds, Gretchen O. Winter, Rebecca Chang, Patricia Pollard, Kiersten Lala, Nupur Alvarez, George A. Gabrieli, John D. E. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT Gabrieli, John D. E. Thompson, Todd Wesley Waskom, Michael L. Garel, Keri-Lee Alyson Cardenas-Iniguez, Carlos Reynolds, Gretchen O. Winter, Rebecca Chang, Patricia Pollard, Kiersten Lala, Nupur Fluid intelligence is important for successful functioning in the modern world, but much evidence suggests that fluid intelligence is largely immutable after childhood. Recently, however, researchers have reported gains in fluid intelligence after multiple sessions of adaptive working memory training in adults. The current study attempted to replicate and expand those results by administering a broad assessment of cognitive abilities and personality traits to young adults who underwent 20 sessions of an adaptive dual n-back working memory training program and comparing their post-training performance on those tests to a matched set of young adults who underwent 20 sessions of an adaptive attentional tracking program. Pre- and post-training measurements of fluid intelligence, standardized intelligence tests, speed of processing, reading skills, and other tests of working memory were assessed. Both training groups exhibited substantial and specific improvements on the trained tasks that persisted for at least 6 months post-training, but no transfer of improvement was observed to any of the non-trained measurements when compared to a third untrained group serving as a passive control. These findings fail to support the idea that adaptive working memory training in healthy young adults enhances working memory capacity in non-trained tasks, fluid intelligence, or other measures of cognitive abilities. National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Blueprint for Neuroscience Research (T90DA022759/R90DA023427) United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (government contract no. NBCHC070105) United States. Dept. of Defense (National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sheldon Razin (1959) Fellowship) 2013-08-05T20:36:30Z 2013-08-05T20:36:30Z 2013-05 2012-11 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1932-6203 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79794 Thompson, Todd W., Michael L. Waskom, Keri-Lee A. Garel, Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez, Gretchen O. Reynolds, Rebecca Winter, Patricia Chang, et al. Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence. Edited by Hans P. O. p. de Beeck. PLoS ONE 8, no. 5 (May 22, 2013): e63614. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9198-6535 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1158-5692 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063614 PLoS ONE Creative Commons Attribution http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ application/pdf Public Library of Science PLoS |
| spellingShingle | Thompson, Todd Wesley Waskom, Michael L. Garel, Keri-Lee Alyson Cardenas-Iniguez, Carlos Reynolds, Gretchen O. Winter, Rebecca Chang, Patricia Pollard, Kiersten Lala, Nupur Alvarez, George A. Gabrieli, John D. E. Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence |
| title | Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence |
| title_full | Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence |
| title_fullStr | Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence |
| title_short | Failure of Working Memory Training to Enhance Cognition or Intelligence |
| title_sort | failure of working memory training to enhance cognition or intelligence |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79794 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9198-6535 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1158-5692 |
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