Abstract
Working memory is important for mental reasoning and learning processes. Several studies in adults and school-age children have shown performance improvement in cognitive tests after working memory training. Our aim was to examine not only immediate but also long-term effects of intensive working memory training on cognitive performance tests in children. Fourteen healthy male subjects between 10 and 16 years trained a visuospatial n-back task over 3 weeks (30 min daily), while 15 individuals of the same age range served as a passive control group. Significant differences in immediate (after 3 weeks of training) and long-term effects (after 2-6 months) in an auditory n-back task were observed compared to controls (2.5 fold immediate and 4.7 fold long-term increase in the training group compared to the controls). The improvement was more pronounced in subjects who improved their performance during the training. Other cognitive functions (matrices test and Stroop task) did not change when comparing the training group to the control group. We conclude that visuospatial working memory training in children boosts performance in similar memory tasks such as the auditory n-back task. The sustained performance improvement several months after the training supports the effectiveness of the training.
Highlights
Learning is crucial for adaptation to new situations and is essential for improvements in cognitive functions over time
Putative transfer effects on fluid intelligence may not be limited to fluid intelligence, but may include other cognitive functions
When we compared auditory n-back (ANB) performance between these two groups, we found that the steady performers showed a significant higher increase from performance before (PRE) to POST and higher increase in maximal ANB performance at POST and FU compared to the unsteady performers (Figure 7)
Summary
Learning is crucial for adaptation to new situations and is essential for improvements in cognitive functions over time. One important aspect of learning-related improvements in cognitive functions is working memory, which is the ability of simultaneously store and process information held in mind despite irrelevant, potentially interfering stimuli[1]. The aim of our study was to investigate working memory training and its effects on working memory tasks and fluid intelligence in male subjects between 10 and 16 years. This age range may be particular susceptible to interventions because many cognitive functions are still developing[9]. In addition to working memory and fluid intelligence tasks, we measured inhibition and interference tasks as well as standardized processing speed. Long-term effects may be indicative for the effectiveness of the training, cognitive testing was repeated immediately after the training period and a few months later
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