The DOI matches its Crossref record; 35 of the 35 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 35 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training
Open accessAbstract
Chess masters and expert musicians appear to be, on average, more intelligent than the general population. Some researchers have thus claimed that playing chess or learning music enhances children’s cognitive abilities and academic attainment. We here present two meta-analyses assessing the effect of chess and music instruction on children’s cognitive and academic skills. A third meta-analysis evaluated the effects of working memory training—a cognitive skill correlated with music and chess expertise—on the same variables. The results show small to moderate effects. However, the effect sizes are inversely related to the quality of the experimental design (e.g., presence of active control groups). This pattern of results casts serious doubts on the effectiveness of chess, music, and working memory training. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings; extend the debate to other types of training such as spatial training, brain training, and video games; and conclude that far transfer of learning rarely occurs.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
Across meta-analyses of chess, music, and working memory training, training produced small to moderate effects, but effects shrank to minimal or null when compared with active control groups. The authors conclude that far transfer of learning rarely occurs, and that cognitive ability correlates with chess/music expertise mainly because smarter individuals select into and excel in those domains.
Key findings
- Chess players’ overall cognitive ability was superior to non-chess players by half a standard deviation; chess skill correlated with fluid intelligence, processing speed, short-term/working memory, and comprehension knowledge.
- Overall training effects were small to moderate: chess 0.34 SD [0.24, 0.44], music 0.16 SD [0.09, 0.22], and working memory training 0.12 SD [0.06, 0.18].
- Effects were inversely related to design quality: with active controls, music training was 0.03 SD [−0.07, 0.12], k = 54, versus 0.25 SD [0.17, 0.34], k = 64, with passive controls; working memory training was 0.05 SD [−0.05, 0.15], k = 40, versus 0.18 SD [−0.09, 0.26], k = 34. Chess had only one active-control study, with a minimal 0.10 SD effect.
- The only exception was robust near-transfer from working memory training to other memory tasks: 0.44 and 0.46 SD when compared with active and passive control groups, respectively.
Methods
- Meta-analyses of experimental studies in typically developing children and young adolescents tested chess and music instruction effects on academic attainment (literacy and mathematics) and cognitive skills, and working memory training effects on academic achievement, fluid intelligence, and cognitive control.
- The article also reviews meta-analytic correlational evidence on chess and music expertise and cognitive ability.
- Effects were pooled as standardized mean differences between treatment and control groups with 95% confidence intervals, comparing passive versus active control groups.
Limitations
- The paper states its conclusions apply at least with typically developing children and young adolescents; chess active-control evidence was limited to one study, and future interventions should include pretests and at least two control groups.
- Evident from the text: meta-analytic estimates depend on the available studies and their design quality, and the correlational evidence cannot establish causation, as the authors themselves note.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
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Claims the paper makes
28 Not checked yet · 15 Own interpretation · 3 Own result
In the paper
“when the experimental groups were compared with active control groups—other filler activities to rule out possible placebo effects such as positive expectations about the training (Boot, Simons, Stothart, & Stutts, 2013) and the excitement induced by a novel activity—the overall effect sizes were minimal or null.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Boot et al., 2013
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“the overall effect sizes were 0.25 SD, 95% CI = [0.17, 0.34], k = 64,3 and 0.03 SD, 95% CI = [−0.07, 0.12], k = 54, for the comparisons with passive and active control groups, respectively.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sala & Gobet, 2017b
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“the overall effect sizes were 0.18 SD, 95% CI = [−0.09, 0.26], k = 34, and 0.05 SD, 95% CI = [−0.05, 0.15], k = 40, for the comparisons with passive and active control groups, respectively”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sala & Gobet, 2017c
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Chess | 0.34 [0.24, 0.44]”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sala & Gobet, 2016, 2017b
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The size of the effects was inversely related to the quality of the experimental design.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“the overall effect sizes were 0.25 SD, 95% CI = [0.17, 0.34], k = 64,3 and 0.03 SD, 95% CI = [−0.07, 0.12], k = 54, for the comparisons with passive and active control groups, respectively.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sala & Gobet, 2017b
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“The results showed small to moderate overall effect sizes—that is, the overall quantitative measure of the effectiveness of the training—in all three meta-analyses (Table 1).”
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
“The results show small to moderate effects.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sala & Gobet, 2016, 2017b
- Not checked yetcites Sala & Gobet, 2017c
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
In the paper
“Working memory | 0.12 [0.06, 0.18]”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sala & Gobet, 2017c
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“the overall effect sizes were 0.18 SD, 95% CI = [−0.09, 0.26], k = 34, and 0.05 SD, 95% CI = [−0.05, 0.15], k = 40, for the comparisons with passive and active control groups, respectively”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sala & Gobet, 2017c
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The only exception to this pattern was the robust near-transfer effect that WM training exerted on other memory tasks (0.44 and 0.46 SD when the treated groups were compared with active and passive control groups, respectively).”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 10
- Probably not a substantial claim. 6
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“the chess interventions included only one study with an active control group (with minimal effects: 0.10 SD).”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
plainSingle case- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“we found that chess players’ overall cognitive ability was superior to that of non-chess players by half a standard deviation, a moderately large effect.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Comparison and correlational studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sala et al., 2017
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“This outcome is in line with Thorndike and Woodworth’s (1901) common-elements theory.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Research in other domains
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Thorndike and Woodworth (1901)
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Jonides, and Perrig (2008), which presented an experiment in which participants who received training on a WM task showed an improvement on a fluid intelligence test (Raven’s Matrices).”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > The hypothesis underlying the potential occurrence of far transfer
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Jaeggi et al., 2008
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Lee, Lu, and Ko (2007) and Schellenberg (2006) found positive correlations between music skill, WM, and IQ.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Comparison and correlational studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Lee et al., 2007
- Not checked yetcites Schellenberg, 2006
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“cognitive ability (e.g., WM or general intelligence) is a predictor of chess skill and music skill, among many others”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Theoretical and Practical Implications
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Like WM training, such programs have been proven to enhance participants’ performance on the task they train and, at best, some other similar tasks.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Research in other domains
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Simons et al., 2016
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Considering that spatial ability predicts attainment in mathematics (Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009)”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Research in other domains
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Wai et al., 2009
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“An alternative explanation is that people with superior cognitive ability are more likely to engage and excel in chess and music.”
- Also stated in: § Conclusions and Future Directions · hedged
“Rather, smarter individuals are more likely to engage and excel in these fields.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > The hypothesis underlying the potential occurrence of far transfer
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Also stated in: § Conclusions and Future Directions · hedged
In the paper
“In their systematic review, Simons et al. (2016) observe that no convincing evidence has been provided so far about the alleged generalized benefits of brain-training programs.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Research in other domains
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Simons et al., 2016
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“Spatial ability has been found to be malleable by spatial training (Uttal et al., 2013).”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Research in other domains
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Uttal et al., 2013
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“The second meta-analysis (Burgoyne et al., 2016) reported statistically significant correlations between chess skill and four broad measures of cognitive ability”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Comparison and correlational studies
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Burgoyne et al., 2016
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Although cognitive ability correlates with domain-specific skills—for example, smarter people are more likely to be stronger chess players and better musicians—there is little evidence that chess or music instruction makes people smarter.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Conclusions and Future Directions
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“If skills rarely generalize across different domains, then the most effective way to acquire a skill is to train that particular skill.”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Theoretical and Practical Implications
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“The occurrence of specific neural patterns (anatomical and functional) and absence of far-transfer effects on cognitive tests have been reported in domains such as music (e.g., Tierney, Krizman, & Kraus, 2015), chess (e.g., Hänggi, Brütsch, Siegel, & Jäncke, 2014), and video game training (e.g., Colom et al., 2012).”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Theoretical and Practical Implications
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Tierney, Krizman, & Kraus, 2015
- Not checked yetcites Hänggi, Brütsch, Siegel, & Jäncke, 2014
- Not checked yetcites Colom et al., 2012
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Nevertheless, there is an increasing recognition that while domain-specific skills are eminently teachable, purely generic-cognitive skills are not teachable and attempts to teach them lead to dead-ends (Sala and Gobet 2017).”
From Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years Later (2019) · cites this paper as Sala and Gobet 2017
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“The data summarised by Sala and Gobet (2017) provide a major justification for the post 1998 inclusion of evolutionary psychology into cognitive load theory.”
From Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years Later (2019) · cites this paper as Sala and Gobet (2017)
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Such findings are essential for this area to remain viable but there is little evidence of such results from any area (Sala and Gobet 2017).”
From Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years Later (2019) · cites this paper as Sala and Gobet 2017
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
“the overall effect sizes were 0.18 SD, 95% CI = [−0.09, 0.26], k = 34”
§ Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training > Does Far Transfer Occur? Insights From Chess, Music, and WM Training > Experimental studies
Reported 0.18 · recomputed 0.085
Citations
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“Because of its high specificity, such information is hardly transferable to other fields, as predicted by chunking theory (Chase & Simon, 1973) and template theory (i.e., an extension of chunking theory; Gobet, 2016; Gobet & Simon, 1996).”
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“In accordance with Thorndike and Woodworth’s (1901) common-elements theory, far transfer remains a chimera.”
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“A similar argument was deployed by Schellenberg (2006), according to whom music instruction enhances general intelligence, which in turn positively affects a wide range of other cognitive and academic abilities.”
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Tierney, A. T., Krizman, J., & Kraus, N. (2015) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1505114112 · Cited by 171
Do the benefits of chess instruction transfer to academic and cognitive skills? A meta-analysis
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. R. (2016) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2016.02.002 · Cited by 169 · cited 1×
“The first two meta-analyses of the experimental studies (Sala & Gobet, 2016, 2017b) assessed the effect of chess and music instruction in enhancing children’s and young adolescents’ academic attainment (literacy and mathematics) and cognitive skills such as phonological processing, memory, and…”
BackgroundSelf-citationBecoming an expert in the musical domain: It takes more than just practice
Ruthsatz, J. M., Detterman, D. K., Griscom, W. S., & Cirullo, B. A. (2007) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2007.08.003 · Cited by 149
Training-induced cognitive and neural plasticity
Karbach, J., & Schubert, T. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00048 · Cited by 127 · cited 1×
“Training cognitive function is thought to lead to changes in the neural system, which may account for the improvements on cognitive tests (Karbach & Schubert, 2013).”
BackgroundMosing, M. A., Madison, G., Pedersen, N. L., & Ullén, F. (2016) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/desc.12306 · Cited by 104
Gobet, F. (2016) · doi:10.1007/978-1-137-57196-0 · Cited by 82
Self-citationKarbach, J., & Strobach, T. (2016) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-42662-4 · Cited by 81
The architecture of the chess player׳s brain
Hänggi, J., Brütsch, K., Siegel, A. M., & Jäncke, L. (2014) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.07.019 · Cited by 79
Oei, A. C., & Patterson, M. D. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00113 · Cited by 76 · cited 1×
“Finally, Oei and Patterson (2015) have challenged the idea that action-video-game training can improve performance in a broad set of visuo-attentional and cognitive tasks.”
BackgroundXu, C., & LeFevre, J. (2016) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/dev0000124 · Cited by 76 · cited 1×
“Regrettably, the attempts to obtain such a far-transfer effect have been unsuccessful so far (e.g., Xu & LeFevre, 2016).”
BackgroundOn the effect of chess training on scholastic achievement
Bart, W. M. (2014) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00762 · Cited by 68 · cited 1×
“In the same manner, Bart (2014) suggested that chess requires WM, fluid intelligence, and concentration capacity, and by practicing chess, children improve these abilities in general.”
BackgroundSala, G., & Gobet, F. R. (2016) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/s13421-016-0663-2 · Cited by 63 · cited 3×
“The third one (Sala & Gobet, 2017c) was carried out to evaluate the effects of WM training on academic achievement, fluid intelligence, and several measures of cognitive control (e.g., processing speed) in typically developing children.”
BackgroundSelf-citationStructural changes after videogame practice related to a brain network associated with intelligence
Colom, R., Quiroga, M. Á., Solana, A. B., Burgaleta, M., Román, F. J., Privado, J., Escorial, S., Martínez, K., Álvarez‐Linera, J., Alfayate, E., et al. (2012) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2012.05.004 · Cited by 52
Sala, G., Burgoyne, A. P., Macnamara, B. N., Hambrick, D. Z., Campitelli, G., & Gobet, F. R. (2017) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2017.01.013 · Cited by 49 · cited 1×
“In the first of our meta-analytic reviews regarding the cognitive correlates of expert performance (Sala et al., 2017), we found that chess players’ overall cognitive ability was superior to that of non-chess players by half a standard deviation, a moderately large effect.”
BackgroundSelf-citation
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- 10.1037/a0027473 · DOI · Paper page
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Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years Later
Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. (2019) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-019-09465-5 · Cited by 2,337
Education and cognitive functioning across the life span
Lövdén, M., Fratiglioni, L., Glymour, M. M., Lindenberger, U., & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2020) · Psychological Science in the Public Interest · doi:10.1177/1529100620920576 · Cited by 1,224
“…music, and chess) result in limited generalization of benefits to outcome measures of cognitive performance that are not directly tapping into skills, strategies, and knowledge acquired through those activities (Melby-Lervag, Redick, & Hulme, 2016; Sala & Gobet, 2017; Simons et al., 2016).”
BackgroundThe impact of shared book reading on children's language skills: A meta-analysis
Noble, C. H., Sala, G., Peter, M., Lingwood, J., Rowland, C. F., Gobet, F. R., & Pine, J. M. (2019) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100290 · Cited by 326
Self-citationAnnual Research Review: Educational neuroscience: progress and prospects
Thomas, M. S. C., Ansari, D., & Knowland, V. C. P. (2018) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.12973 · Cited by 349
“The pursuit of techniques to produce general benefits for cognition As we have seen, cognitive training tends to produce only ‘near transfer’, that is, performance improvements to the task trained on or similar tasks, rather than more broadly across cognition (Sala & Gobet, 2017).”
BackgroundDomain-specific prior knowledge and learning: A meta-analysis
Simonsmeier, B. A., Flaig, M., Deiglmayr, A., Schalk, L., & Schneider, M. (2021) · Educational Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00461520.2021.1939700 · Cited by 314
Metadata
- Authors
- Sala, G., & Gobet, F.
- Affiliations
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Gobet, Fernand
- Venue
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-10-25
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 515-520
- ISSN
- 0963-7214 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8721
- PMC
- PMC5724589
- OpenAlex
- W2766093218
- Cited by
- 309
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 29.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Current Directions in Psychological Science (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion)
- London School of Economics and Political Science Theses Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
- Keywords
- far transfer, chess instruction, music instruction, working memory training, cognitive ability, academic performance, expert musicians, brain training, video games, spatial training, active control groups
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