title: Is working memory training effective? A study in a school setting.
abstract: We tested the effectiveness of an intensive, on average 17-session, adaptive and computerized working-memory training program for improving performance on untrained, paper and pencil working memory tasks, standardized school achievement tasks, and teacher ratings of classroom behavior. Third-grade children received either a computerized working memory training for about 30 minutes per session (n = 156) or participated in regular classroom activities (n = 126). Results indicated strong gains in the training task. Further, pretest and posttest transfer measures of working memory and school achievement, as well as teacher ratings, showed substantial correlations with training task performance, suggesting that the training task captured abilities that were relevant for the transfer tasks. However, effect sizes of training-specific transfer gains were very small and not consistent across tasks. These results raise questions about the benefits of intensive working-memory training programs within a regular school context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America.
authors.forename: Catrin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rode
authors.affiliation: Eduworks, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America.
authors.forename: Robby
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robson
authors.affiliation: Eduworks, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Purviance
authors.affiliation: Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Geary
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mayr
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012107:Research Design