Working Memory Training May Increase Working Memory Capacity but Not Fluid Intelligence
Abstract
Working memory is a critical element of complex cognition, particularly under conditions of distraction and interference. Measures of working memory capacity correlate positively with many measures of real-world cognition, including fluid intelligence. There have been numerous attempts to use training procedures to increase working memory capacity and thereby performance on the real-world tasks that rely on working memory capacity. In the study reported here, we demonstrated that training on complex working memory span tasks leads to improvement on similar tasks with different materials but that such training does not generalize to measures of fluid intelligence.
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Increases in working memory capacity are typically thought to mediate the effects of working memory training on fluid intelligence or academic attainment.
“This is because effects of working memory training on fluid intelligence or academic attainment are typically seen as being mediated by (i.e. dependent upon) increases in working memory capacity (Harrison et al., 2013; Lange & Süß, 2015; Tidwell et al., 2014; von Bastian & Oberauer, 2014).”
From Working Memory Training Does Not Improve Performance on Measures of Intelligence or Other Measures of “Far Transfer” (2016) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
In those studies, active controls showed no gain from baseline and were not better than passive controls, which suggests the null transfer result did not depend on control type.
“It is important to note, however, that their active control groups did not improve over baseline, nor did they outperform their associated passive control groups, suggesting that the failure to find transfer was irrespective of control type.”
From Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory: a meta-analysis (2015) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
Two prominent recent studies that used active control groups did not observe transfer to fluid intelligence.
“With this in mind, two recent, widely publicized training studies used active controls and failed to find transfer to measures of Gf (Harrison et al., 2013;Redick et al., 2013).”
From Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory: a meta-analysis (2015) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
Cognitive training has been shown to have an impact on task performance and on fluid intelligence tests.
“Cognitive training has shown to have an impact on task performance and on fluid intelligence (Gf) tests [13-15].”
The cognitive processes involved in different distractor tasks (e.g., equation verification vs mental rotation) have minimal overlap.
“The overlap in the cognitive processes involved in performing distractor tasks such as verifying equations and judging whether letters are upright or mirror-reversed when mentally rotated (Harrison et al., 2013) is minimal.”
From Working memory training involves learning new skills (2019) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
In four studies, different groups completed different WM training programs.
“In four studies different groups completed different WM training programs: updating and Cogmed RM (Ang, Lee, Cheam, Poon, & Koh (2015); complex span and running span (Foster et al., 2017) complex span and simple span (Harrison et al. (2013); n-back and complex span (Minear et al., 2016).”
From Working memory training involves learning new skills (2019) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
Previous evidence has pointed to transfer across tasks sharing only the paradigm and not either the stimuli or distractor activity.
“Previous evidence has pointed to transfer across tasks sharing only the paradigm and not either the stimuli or distractor activity (Harrison et al., 2013; von Bastian et al., 2013; Henry et al., 2014; Richmond et al., 2014; Minear et al., 2016).”
From Are Working Memory Training Effects Paradigm-Specific? (2019) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
Significant transfer has been reported across the majority of complex span training studies that changed both storage items and distractor activity between trained and untrained tasks.
“Significant transfer has been reported across the majority of these studies (Harrison et al., 2013; Henry et al., 2014; Richmond et al., 2014).”
From Are Working Memory Training Effects Paradigm-Specific? (2019) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
Research investigating transfer within and across working memory paradigms following training has largely concluded that transfer is confined to untrained working memory tests that are highly similar to the trained activities.
“Research investigating transfer within and across working memory paradigms following training has largely concluded that transfer is confined to untrained working memory tests that are highly similar to the trained activities (e.g., Harrison et al., 2013; Sprenger et al., 2013; von Bastian et al., 2013; Minear et al., 2016; Blacker et al., 2017; Soveri et al., 2017).”
From Are Working Memory Training Effects Paradigm-Specific? (2019) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
The present findings add to evidence for lack of transfer across complex span tasks and contrast with reports of transfer across different memory items and distraction activities.
“The present findings both add to other evidence for lack of transfer across complex span tasks (Minear et al., 2016; Blacker et al., 2017) and stand in contrast to other reports of transfer across different memory items and interpolated distraction activities (e.g., Harrison et al., 2013; von Bastian et al., 2013; Henry et al., 2014; Richmond et al., 2014).”
From Are Working Memory Training Effects Paradigm-Specific? (2019) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2013
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Harrison, T. L., Shipstead, Z., Hicks, K. L., Hambrick, D. Z., Redick, T. S., & Engle, R. W.
- Affiliations
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- Arizona State University (US)
- Michigan State University (US)
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Corresponding author
- Engle, Randall W.
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2013-10-03
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2409-2419
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2158068742
- Cited by
- 305
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 45.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Association for Psychological Science
- Office of Naval Research
- 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, working memory capacity, fluid intelligence, transfer of training, working memory span, generalization of training effects, cognitive training
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Humans, Intelligence, Memory, Short-Term, Random Allocation, Transfer, Psychology, Young Adult
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