Collaborative Research: Testing Individualized Cognitive Training Interventions Based on a Multifaceted Theory of Working Memory

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Working memory is the ability to actively maintain, manipulate, and retrieve relevant information during everyday tasks. An individual's working memory functioning is strongly and positively related to important outcomes such as intelligence, reading comprehension, mathematic proficiency, and resistance to distraction. An important question is what specific cognitive processes can explain why working memory is so critical for these diverse aspects of behavior. A related question is whether increasing a person's working memory functioning via computerized memory exercises will lead to improvements not just in working memory but also in related outcomes, such as intelligence and reading comprehension. This research project will provide the foundation for new theoretical perspectives about working memory that have the potential to drastically alter the future of cognitive training research and commercialization. The information gained via this project comes at a critical juncture, as the public, K-12, and medical use of computerized cognitive training is increasing, along with recent estimates of billions of US dollars spent on such computerized training. The investigators will provide workshops and lectures to students, faculty, community members, and K-12 teachers and administrators, both in-person and via Internet-based materials. In addition, the project will provide a variety of hands-on research opportunities for graduate, undergraduate, and high school students. The project will investigate a novel approach to cognitive training, by first identifying specific working memory strengths and weaknesses in a large sample of young adults, and then developing specific cognitive training exercises that target an individual's working memory functioning. This approach differs from the typical one-size-fits-all method of cognitive training that does not consider the individual's particular cognitive profile. Before and after training, participants will complete various cognitive tests designed to assess whether the training leads to very specific improvements (i.e., outcomes similar to the training program) or broader improvements (i.e., intelligence, reading comprehension). The design of the project will provide the strongest and clearest evidence yet about the potential utility of working memory training to produce meaningful changes in working memory, intelligence, and reading comprehension.