RUI: Training and Transfer of Executive Processes

The College Of Idaho, Caldwell ID

Investigators

Abstract

There are a growing number of websites and software packages that offer "brain training" courses that claim to improve functions such as memory and attention, which are grouped under the label of "executive functions". Executive functions are general purpose control processes that allow us to monitor our behavior and to form and achieve our goals. They help us to focus on problems before us, to inhibit irrelevant information, and to successfully switch between multiple tasks. Recent research has shown modest support for the claim that targeted training regimens can improve executive functioning. It is not known, however, whether improvement in executive functioning can translate into improvement in academic performance. An NSF-funded research project conducted by Dr. Meredith Minear and her students at The College of Idaho will investigate the nature of training-related improvements in executive functions and the extent to which such training can improve performance on complex tasks such reasoning, problem solving and reading comprehension. In a series of training studies, participants will be measured on a battery of cognitive tasks before and after 4 weeks of training on one or more executive functions. The resulting data will identify the most effective training program and whether there is any program for which there is meaningful transfer to complex real world tasks. This project will involve a large number of undergraduate students in research both as collaborators, but also as participants in long term training studies. Both experiences will allow students to see how research can be applicable to their own lives and to society at large. Students who join the research team will have many opportunities to engage in data collection, analysis, presentation at regional and national conferences and authorship on peer-reviewed journal articles. This research project will benefit society by improving our understanding of the effects of training on executive function.