A comparison of self-generated versus taught internal strategies for working memory

Internal strategies are effective for improving working memory. These internal working memory strategies can be taught or self-generated.

This study compares working memory performance using taught versus self-generated internal working memory strategies and explores the quantity, type and carry-over of the use of these strategies.

An experimental cohort design with randomly assigned groups compared the performances among 120 participants on 5 memory tests given prior, immediately following and at 1 month post intervention.

There were no significant differences in the number or type of internal memory strategies used by the groups with chunking, repetition and association used most commonly. The group that self-generated strategies performed significantly better on a contextual memory test and the group that was taught strategies performed better on a face/name recall test for which a specific strategy was taught. The group that was taught strategies performed significantly worse on contextual memory tests from pre-test to follow-up.

Participants who generated their own strategies or used a specific strategy for a specific task did as well as participants who were taught myriad internal WM strategies. Teaching too many strategies may overwhelm participants or may distract them from using the context that is available in such tasks.