Pattern of Near Transfer Effects Following Working Memory Training With a Dual N-Back Task
Abstract
Abstract. In a randomized controlled trial, we investigated the pattern of near transfer effects of working memory (WM) training with an adaptive auditory-visuospatial dual n-back training task in healthy young adults. The results revealed significant task-specific transfer to an untrained single n-back task, and more general near transfer to a WM updating composite score plus a nearly significant effect on a composite score measuring interference control in WM. No transfer effects were seen on Active or Passive WM composites. The results are discussed in the light of cognitive versus strategy-related overlap between training and transfer tasks.
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Training on N-back improves performance on N-back tasks that were not trained.
“While there is little doubt that N-back training leads to improved performance on untrained N-back tasks13,25–27”
From Near transfer to an unrelated N-back task mediates the effect of N-back working memory training on matrix reasoning (2022) · cites this paper as [25]
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- Authors
- Soveri, A., Karlsson, E. P. A., Waris, O., Grönholm-Nyman, P., & Laine, M.
- Affiliations
- Åbo Akademi University (FI)
- Venue
- Experimental Psychology
- Publisher
- Hogrefe Publishing Group
- Published
- 2017-07
- Volume
- 64
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 240-252
- ISSN
- 0949-3964 (ISSN-L)
- 1618-3169
- 2190-5142
- OpenAlex
- W2756443159
- Semantic Scholar
- fb9d6dfaa2f0d64f7016d3b8be8b88dc5b337200
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 5.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Åbo Akademi University Research Portal (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- working memory training, near transfer, dual n-back task, interference control, cognitive training, working memory updating
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Female, Humans, Learning, Male, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Young Adult
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