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Updated: May 11, 2026
07:01
Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Failure of working memory training to enhance cognition or intelligence
Todd W Thompson1, Michael L Waskom, Keri-Lee A Garel
1Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. toddt@mit.edu
Plos One
|May 30, 2013
Summary
Adaptive working memory training did not enhance fluid intelligence or other cognitive abilities in healthy young adults. Improvements were limited to trained tasks, with no lasting benefits observed in non-trained cognitive measures.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Fluid intelligence is crucial for daily functioning but often considered fixed after childhood.
- Recent studies suggested potential cognitive gains from working memory training in adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To replicate and expand on findings of improved fluid intelligence after working memory training.
- To investigate transfer effects to non-trained cognitive abilities.
Main Methods:
- Young adults participated in 20 sessions of adaptive dual n-back working memory training.
- Cognitive abilities and personality traits were assessed pre- and post-training.
- A control group received attentional tracking training, and another group had no training.
Main Results:
- Both training groups showed specific improvements on trained tasks, persisting for 6 months.
- No significant transfer of improvements was observed to fluid intelligence or other non-trained cognitive measures compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
- Adaptive working memory training does not enhance fluid intelligence or broader cognitive abilities in healthy young adults.
- Observed improvements are task-specific and do not generalize to untrained cognitive functions.
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