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Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

A transient memory lapse in humans 1-3 h after training.

Beverly A Wright¹, Ruijing Ning^2,3

¹Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University Institute for Neuroscience, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. b-wright@northwestern.edu.

NPJ Science of Learning

|October 16, 2024

Summary

Transient memory lapses, observed in animals, also occur in humans after perceptual learning. These temporary memory deficits may be a normal part of how the human brain forms memories.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Memory Research

Background:

Temporary decreases in learning retention are observed in many non-human species post-training.
These memory lapses have been hypothesized as a fundamental aspect of memory consolidation.
It remains unclear if such transient memory lapses occur in humans and across different learning types.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the presence and nature of transient memory lapses in human learning.
To determine if these lapses extend to perceptual learning, a form of skill acquisition.
To assess the potential role of transient memory lapses in human memory formation.

Main Methods:

Two human participants were trained on a perceptual-discrimination task.
Memory retention was assessed at intervals following the training session.
Behavioral data were analyzed to identify patterns of memory performance over time.

Main Results:

Two instances of transient memory lapses were observed in human participants.
These memory lapses occurred approximately 1-3 hours after training.
The findings demonstrate transient memory lapses in the context of perceptual learning.

Conclusions:

Transient memory lapses are not exclusive to non-human species and occur in humans.
Perceptual learning in humans is susceptible to temporary memory deficits.
Transient memory lapses may represent a common, yet underrecognized, component of human memory formation.