Training executive functions using an adaptive procedure over 21 days (10 training sessions) and an active control...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human Development

Background:

• Executive functions (EF) encompass working memory (WM), inhibitory control (IC), and cognitive flexibility (CF).
• The efficacy and generalizability of cognitive training for enhancing EF remain debated, with inconsistent research findings.
• Previous studies often show task-specific improvements but lack evidence for broader cognitive transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether adaptive cognitive training can enhance EF abilities.
• To compare the efficacy and generalizability of training programs targeting WM, IC, or CF.
• To assess transfer effects to untrained tasks within and across EF domains.

Main Methods:

• A pre-registered experiment with 160 participants randomly assigned to four groups: WM, IC, CF, or active control.
• Participants underwent 10 adaptive training sessions over 21 days.
• EFs were assessed pre- and post-training using a comprehensive task battery.

Main Results:

• Robust improvements were observed on the specific tasks that were trained (direct training effects).
• Limited evidence for near transfer (improved performance on related untrained tasks) and far transfer (improved performance on unrelated tasks or different EFs) was found.
• Observed indirect benefits were often linked to overlapping task routines rather than general cognitive enhancement.

Conclusions:

• Adaptive cognitive training effectively improves performance on trained executive function tasks.
• The generalizability of these training gains to untrained tasks is limited, questioning broad EF enhancement.
• Future research should explore mechanisms underlying transfer and optimize training protocols for broader cognitive benefits.