Near and far transfer effects of working memory training: A preregistered, double-blind, randomized-controlled study.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human Intelligence

Background:

• Working memory (WM) training shows variable near transfer effects on related tasks.
• Far transfer effects of WM training on fluid intelligence (Gf) remain inconsistent in existing research.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate near and far transfer effects of adaptive visuospatial N-back WM training.
• Examine if different training durations and intensities influence transfer.
• Assess the moderating role of individual differences on transfer effects.

Main Methods:

• Double-blind, randomized controlled trial with a training group and active control.
• Three training styles: long (20 sessions), medium (5 sessions), and intense (5 sessions).
• Cognitive performance assessed at pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Increased training duration correlated with higher N-level gains in the N-back task.
• No significant near or far transfer effects observed in the training group.
• Individual differences did not moderate the observed transfer effects.

Conclusions:

• While WM training enhances performance on the trained task, these gains do not generalize to untrained cognitive abilities.
• Increased training dosage does not appear to improve the transferability of WM training effects.
• Findings suggest limited efficacy of current WM training paradigms for broad cognitive enhancement.