title: What's working in working memory training? An educational perspective.
abstract: Working memory training programs have generated great interest, with claims that the training interventions can have profound beneficial effects on children's academic and intellectual attainment. We describe the criteria by which to evaluate evidence for or against the benefit of working memory training. Despite the promising results of initial research studies, the current review of all of the available evidence of working memory training efficacy is less optimistic. Our conclusion is that working memory training produces limited benefits in terms of specific gains on short-term and working memory tasks that are very similar to the training programs, but no advantage for academic and achievement-based reading and arithmetic outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906.
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Redick
authors.affiliation: Division of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Zach
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shipstead
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Wiemers
authors.affiliation: Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Pb 1140 Blindern, 0318 Oslo.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melby-Lervåg
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, Chandler House, 2 Wakefield Street, London, WC1N 2PF.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hulme
keywords: academic attainment; intervention; training; working memory