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Updated: Jan 2, 2026
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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
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The Hype Cycle of Working Memory Training.
1Purdue University, Department of Psychological Sciences, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, tredick@purdue.edu, (765) 494-5132.
Current Directions in Psychological Science
|December 10, 2019
Summary
Evidence for working memory training efficacy remains limited despite extensive research. While task-specific improvements are common, broader benefits are often linked to studies with methodological weaknesses.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human behavior
Background:
- Working memory training has been studied for over 17 years.
- Numerous studies demonstrate improvements on trained tasks and close variants.
- Claims of broader cognitive and behavioral improvements exist but lack robust evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current evidence for working memory training efficacy.
- To examine factors influencing training and transfer effects.
- To discuss the past, present, and future of working memory research.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of existing literature on working memory training.
- Analysis of methodological quality in studies reporting positive findings.
- Discussion of factors affecting training and transfer efficacy.
Main Results:
- Task-specific improvements in working memory are consistently observed.
- Evidence for significant improvements in untrained abilities is weak.
- Studies with large positive findings often exhibit methodological shortcomings.
Conclusions:
- The overall efficacy of working memory training for untrained abilities is not well-supported.
- Methodological rigor is crucial for reliable working memory training research.
- Future research should focus on factors influencing transfer and robust study designs.
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