Working memory training remains a work in progress.
Abstract
In recent years, understandable enthusiasm (e.g., Sternberg, 008) regarding landmark publications such as Klingberg, orssberg, and Westerberg (2002) and Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Jonidas, nd Perrig, (2008) has been met with reasonable skepticism Melby-Lervag & Hulme, 2012; Moody, 2009; Shipstead, Redick, Engle, 2012). We do not view this skepticism as an attempted ebuttal of the hope that psychologists will develop methods for eliably training working memory (WM) and associated abilities. ather, it is a simple acknowledgment that not everybody finds the vailable data to be persuasive. In general, research is progressing as it should. Experimental ethods are improving (Gathercole, Dunning, &Holmes, 2012) and esearchers are developing training techniques that recognize the omplexity ofWM (Gibson, Gondoli, Johnson, Steeger, &Morrissey, 012) and the complexity of humans that are engaged in training Shah, Buschkuehl, Jaeggi, & Jonides, 2012). Yet, while most of the ommentators provide valid reasons for believing thatWMtraining ill one day become a reliable method of cognitive remediation, ewargue that currentWMtraining techniques represent afinished roject. And this is the thrust of our concern. Themost accurate descripion of the state ofWM training is that the fundamental techniques
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Working memory training is still an unfinished endeavor.
“We concur with what Shipstead, Hicks, and Engle (2012) stated 4 years ago: BWorking memory training remains a work in progress.^”
From Working memory training revisited: A multi-level meta-analysis of n-back training studies (2017) · cites this paper as Shipstead, Hicks, and Engle (2012)
Cites
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Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory
Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0801268105 · Cited by 2,187 · see citing works
Computerized training of working memory in children with ADHD – a randomized, controlled trial
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“Our concern with control group-related motivation regards broad transfer effects (e.g., Klingberg et al., 2005, 2002 ).”
Is working memory training effective? A meta-analytic review
Melby-Lervåg, M., & Hulme, C. (2013) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0028228 · Cited by 1,782 · see citing works
Kane, M. J., & Engle, R. W. (2003) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.132.1.47 · Cited by 1,725 · cited 1× · see citing works
“We do not recommend the continued use of the Stroop task, as it requires a large number of trials and the interaction with WM capacity can be quite small (Kane & Engle, 2003).”
Self-citationA controlled-attention view of working-memory capacity.
Kane, M. J., Bleckley, M. K., Conway, A. R. A., & Engle, R. W. (2001) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.130.2.169 · Cited by 1,414 · see citing works
Self-citationTraining of Working Memory in Children With ADHD
Klingberg, T., Forssberg, H., & Westerberg, H. (2002) · Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1076/jcen.24.6.781.8395 · Cited by 1,225 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Our concern with control group-related motivation regards broad transfer effects (e.g., Klingberg et al., 2005, 2002 ).”
Is working memory training effective?
Shipstead, Z., Redick, T. S., & Engle, R. W. (2012) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0027473 · Cited by 1,101 · see citing works
Self-citationThe concurrent validity of the <i>N</i> -back task as a working memory measure
Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Perrig, W. J., & Meier, B. (2010) · Memory · doi:10.1080/09658211003702171 · Cited by 981 · see citing works
Working memory, attention control, and the N-back task: a question of construct validity
Kane, M. J., Conway, A. R. A., Miura, T. K., & Colflesh, G. J. H. (2007) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition · doi:10.1037/0278-7393.33.3.615 · Cited by 933 · cited 1× · see citing works
“It is becoming clear that individual differences in complex span and n-back performance are, at best, weakly related (Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Perrig, & Meier, 2010; Kane, Conway, Miura, & Colflesh, 2007).”
Nutley, S. B., Söderqvist, S., Bryde, S., Thorell, L. B., Humphreys, K., & Klingberg, T. (2011) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.01022.x · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Working memory capacity and attention network test performance
Redick, T. S., & Engle, R. W. (2006) · Applied Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1002/acp.1224 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
Self-citationGreen, C. T., Long, D. L., Green, D., Iosif, A.-M., Dixon, J. F., Miller, M. R., Fassbender, C., & Schweitzer, J. B. (2012) · Neurotherapeutics · doi:10.1007/s13311-012-0124-y · Cited by 176 · see citing works
Increasing fluid intelligence is possible after all
Sternberg, R. J. (2008) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0803396105 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Can intelligence be increased by training on a task of working memory?
Moody, D. E. (2009) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2009.04.005 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Current evidence does not support the claims made for CogMed working memory training.
Hulme, C., & Melby‐Lervåg, M. (2012) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.06.006 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Cogmed training: Let's be realistic about intervention research.
Gathercole, S. E., Dunning, D. L., & Holmes, J. (2012) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.07.007 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Cogmed and working memory training—Current challenges and the search for underlying mechanisms.
Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J. J., & Shah, P. (2012) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.07.002 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Working Memory Capacity and Visual Attention: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Guidance
Shipstead, Z., Harrison, T. L., & Engle, R. W. (2012) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1080/17470218.2012.655698 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-citationCognitive training for ADHD: the importance of individual differences.
Shah, P., Buschkuehl, M., Jaeggi, S., & Jonides, J. (2012) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.07.001 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Is working memory capacity fixed?
Klingberg, T. (2012) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.07.004 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Morrison, A. B., & Chein, J. M. (2012) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.07.005 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
The future promise of Cogmed working memory training.
Gibson, B. S., Gondoli, D. M., Johnson, A. C., Steeger, C. M., & Morrissey, R. A. (2012) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.07.003 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Cognitive training: Strategies and the multicomponent cognitive system.
Logie, R. H. (2012) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.07.006 · Cited by 22 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Thus, while it remains possible that training will only affect certain subcomponents of WM (e.g., Gibson et al., 2012; Logie, 2012), transfer results cannot be accepted willy-nilly.”
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Working memory training revisited: A multi-level meta-analysis of n-back training studies
Soveri, A., Antfolk, J., Karlsson, L., Salo, B., & Laine, M. (2017) · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · doi:10.3758/s13423-016-1217-0 · Cited by 350 · see citing works
“On the one hand, one could think that variation in for example transfer tasks is important in order to be able to draw conclusions about improvement in general WM mechanisms (for a discussion, see e.g., Shipstead, Redick et al., 2010; Shipstead et al., 2012).”
BackgroundResultWorking Memory Capacity and Fluid Intelligence: Maintenance and Disengagement
Shipstead, Z., Harrison, T. L., & Engle, R. W. (2016) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691616650647 · Cited by 238 · see citing works
Self-citationSteeger, C. M., Gondoli, D. M., Gibson, B. S., & Morrissey, R. A. (2016) · Child Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/09297049.2014.994485 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Working memory updating and binding training: Bayesian evidence supporting the absence of transfer.
De Simoni, C., & von Bastian, C. C. (2018) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/xge0000453 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Do the effects of working memory training depend on baseline ability level?
Foster, J. L., Harrison, T. L., Hicks, K. L., Draheim, C., Redick, T. S., & Engle, R. W. (2017) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition · doi:10.1037/xlm0000426 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Self-citationAng, S. Y., Lee, K., Cheam, F., Poon, K., & Koh, J. (2015) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2015.03.001 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
- Authors
- Shipstead, Z., Hicks, K. L., & Engle, R. W.
- Affiliations
- Nanjing University (CN)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- ORCID
- Engle, Randall W.
- Venue
- Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition
- Published
- 2012-09
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 217-219
- ISSN
- 2211-3681 (ISSN-L)
- 2211-369X
- OpenAlex
- W1964892579
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 4.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- working memory training, cognitive remediation, transfer of training
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