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Cited by 31Cognitive Abilities and TestingCognitive Functions and MemoryMemory Processes and Influences

Can short-term memory be trained?

Open access
Norris, Dennis G., Hall, Jane, Gathercole, Susan E.·2019·Memory & Cognition
DOI 10.3758/s13421-019-00901-zPMC PMC6647533
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Abstract

Is the capacity of short-term memory fixed, or does it improve with practice? It is already known that training on complex working memory tasks is more likely to transfer to untrained tasks with similar properties, but this approach has not been extended to the more basic short-term memory system responsible for verbal serial recall. Here we investigated this with adaptive training algorithms widely applied in working memory training. Serial recall of visually presented digits was found to improve over the course of 20 training sessions, but this improvement did not extend to recall of either spoken digits or visually presented letters. In contrast, training on a nonserial visual short-term memory color change detection task did transfer to a line orientation change detection task. We suggest that training only generates substantial transfer when the unfamiliar demands of the training activities require the development of novel routines that can then be applied to untrained versions of the same paradigm (Gathercole, Dunning, Holmes, & Norris, 2019). In contrast, serial recall of digits is fully supported by the existing verbal short-term memory system and does not require the development of new routines.

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  • Evidence on stimulus domain and transfer is unclear/competing.

    “Some scholars argue that the novelty of visuospatial materials facilitates new learning and transfer (Gathercole et al., 2019; Norris et al., 2019), whereas competing evidence suggests stronger transfer following verbal WM training (Ni et al., 2023)”

    From The asymmetry of working memory training transfer: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Norris et al., 2019

    The Discussion (page unavailable) proposes that the unfamiliar demands of a visual change-detection task may prompt a new cognitive routine that produces transfer. That supports a qualified link between novelty, learning and transfer, but not the broader claim that novelty of visuospatial materials generally facilitates transfer: the Results (page unavailable) found no substantial cross-domain transfer from circle-span training. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Visual novelty can facilitate within-paradigm transfer, but paradigm-specific benefits associated with visual novelty may not support or even hinder cross-paradigm generalization.

    “Notably, this pattern differs from evidence that visual novelty can facilitate within-paradigm transfer (Gathercole et al., 2019; Norris et al., 2019), perhaps because the paradigm-specific benefits associated with visual novelty may not support or even hinder cross-paradigm generalization.”

    From The asymmetry of working memory training transfer: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Norris et al., 2019

    The Results (Transfer data; page unavailable) show transfer from color-change training to an untrained line-orientation task using the same paradigm. The Discussion describes the change-detection demands as unfamiliar and proposes a new cognitive routine as one possible explanation, but it does not establish that visual novelty caused the transfer. The cross-paradigm explanation follows the citations as the citing authors’ own speculation. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Alloway TP Automated working memory assessment 2007 San Antonio Pearson

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Authors
Norris, D. G., Hall, J., & Gathercole, S. E.
Affiliations
MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (GB)
Corresponding author
Norris, Dennis G.
ORCID
Venue
Memory & Cognition
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-02-27
Volume
47
Issue
5
Pages
1012-1023
ISSN
  • 0090-502X (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-5946
DOI
10.3758/s13421-019-00901-z
PMC
PMC6647533
OpenAlex
W2918175040
Cited by
31
References
60
Citations by year
2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2
FWCI
4.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Memory & Cognition (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Apollo (cc-by)
Funders
Medical Research Council (SUAG/012)
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 › Memory Processes and Influences
Keywords
short-term memory, working memory training, serial recall, verbal short-term memory, transfer of training, visual short-term memory, letter recall
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Color Perception, Humans, Memory, Short-Term, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Practice, Psychological, Mental Recall, Serial Learning, Speech Perception, Transfer, Psychology, Young Adult

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