scholarly journals Working Memory and Reasoning Benefit from Different Modes of Large-scale Brain Dynamics in Healthy Older Adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1033-1046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Lebedev ◽  
Jonna Nilsson ◽  
Martin Lövdén
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Reasoning Task ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Complex Reasoning

Researchers have proposed that solving complex reasoning problems, a key indicator of fluid intelligence, involves the same cognitive processes as solving working memory tasks. This proposal is supported by an overlap of the functional brain activations associated with the two types of tasks and by high correlations between interindividual differences in performance. We replicated these findings in 53 older participants but also showed that solving reasoning and working memory problems benefits from different configurations of the functional connectome and that this dissimilarity increases with a higher difficulty load. Specifically, superior performance in a typical working memory paradigm ( n-back) was associated with upregulation of modularity (increased between-network segregation), whereas performance in the reasoning task was associated with effective downregulation of modularity. We also showed that working memory training promotes task-invariant increases in modularity. Because superior reasoning performance is associated with downregulation of modular dynamics, training may thus have fostered an inefficient way of solving the reasoning tasks. This could help explain why working memory training does little to promote complex reasoning performance. The study concludes that complex reasoning abilities cannot be reduced to working memory and suggests the need to reconsider the feasibility of using working memory training interventions to attempt to achieve effects that transfer to broader cognition.

scholarly journals Working memory and reasoning benefit from different modes of large-scale brain dynamics in healthy older adults

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Lebedev ◽  
Jonna Nilsson ◽  
Martin Lövdén
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Reasoning Task ◽  
Down Regulation ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Complex Reasoning

AbstractResearchers have proposed that solving complex reasoning problems, a key indicator of fluid intelligence, involves the same cognitive processes as solving working memory tasks. This proposal is supported by an overlap of the functional brain activations associated with the two types of tasks and by high correlations between inter-individual differences in performance. We replicated these findings in fifty-three older subjects but also showed that solving reasoning and working memory problems benefits from different configurations of the functional connectome and that this dissimilarity increases with higher difficulty load. Specifically, superior performance in a typical working memory paradigm (n-back) was associated with up-regulation of modularity (increased between-network segregation), whereas performance in the reasoning task was associated with effective down-regulation of modularity. We also showed that working memory training promotes task-invariant increases in modularity. Since superior reasoning performance is associated with down-regulation of modular dynamics, training may thus have fostered an inefficient way of solving the reasoning tasks. This could help explain why working memory training does little to promote complex reasoning performance. The study concludes that complex reasoning abilities cannot be reduced to working memory and suggests the need to reconsider the feasibility of using working memory training interventions to attempt to achieve effects that transfer to broader cognition.

scholarly journals Reviewing working memory training gains in healthy older adults: A meta-analytic review of transfer for cognitive outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 103 ◽  
pp. 163-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana C. Teixeira-Santos ◽  
Célia S. Moreira ◽  
Rosana Magalhães ◽  
Carina Magalhães ◽  
Diana R. Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Analytic Review

Can We Improve Fluid Intelligence With Training on Working Memory in Persons With Intellectual Disabilities?

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter J. Perrig ◽  
Marco Hollenstein ◽  
Stephan Oelhafen
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Far Transfer ◽  
Hereditary Component ◽  
Remedial Intervention ◽  
Intellectual Deficiencies ◽  
The Relationship

Fluid intelligence is considered as the ability to reason and to solve problems that influence learning in everyday life in both professional and educational settings. Therefore, a possibility to improve this faculty in persons with intellectual disabilities would be of highest interest for education. However, still being debated, many scientist as well as practitioners will agree that it is extremely difficult for these persons to go beyond a certain level of reasoning and to improve their intellectual functioning. This goes together with the consideration of fluid intelligence as a trait with a strong hereditary component that is rather immune to training. Nevertheless, we present in this article the theoretical rationale for successful working memory training as a processual training and as a remedial intervention tool for persons with intellectual deficiencies. This rationale is based on a review of the research on the relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence and the research on far transfer effects in nontrained tasks after training in populations with varying mental capacity. Features and constraints of the training tasks are described that are considered mandatory for a working memory training to be efficient.

Gains in language comprehension relating to working memory training in healthy older adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 539-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Carretti ◽  
Erika Borella ◽  
Michela Zavagnin ◽  
Rossana de Beni
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Healthy Older Adults

scholarly journals EXPRESS: Working memory training does not improve executive functioning or fluid intelligence

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110395
Author(s):  
Jose A. Rodas ◽  
Ciara Greene
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Training Task ◽  
And Control

Several studies have reported that cognitive training can lead to improvements of complex mental skills such as intelligence. However, attempts to replicate these findings have not been very successful with many studies reporting lack of transferable effects on cognitive processes unrelated to the training task. On the other hand, transfer effects on cognitive processes closely related to the training task have been more commonly reported. In this study, we investigated the effects of a frequently used working-memory training programme on fluid intelligence and specific executive functions (updating, inhibition, switching, the focus of attention, and sustained attention). We remedied common issues with previous training studies by using an active control group, using more than one instrument to assess each function, and including a larger sample size. The experimental group showed significant improvement in the training task, indicating strong practice effects. However, no evidence of training-specific transfer was found in any of the variables investigated, and we could not find any of the previous improvements reported. Participants in both the training and control group showed post-training improvements in most of the outcome variables, suggesting that practice effects can be found even when a task is only performed twice. We conclude by discussing possible explanations for the differences between our results and those reported in prior studies, and recommend that any claims of improvement should be supported by studies capable of replicating them.

scholarly journals Working memory training does not improve executive functioning or fluid intelligence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose A. Rodas ◽  
Ciara Greene
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Training Task ◽  
And Control

Several studies have reported that cognitive training can lead to improvements of complex mental skills such as intelligence. However, attempts to replicate these findings have not been very successful with many studies reporting lack of transferable effects on cognitive processes unrelated to the training task. On the other hand, transfer effects on cognitive processes closely related to the training task have been more commonly reported. In this study, we investigated the effects of a frequently used working-memory training programme on fluid intelligence and specific executive functions (updating, inhibition, switching, the focus of attention, and sustained attention). We remedied common issues with previous training studies by using an active control group, using more than one instrument to assess each function, and including a larger sample size. The experimental group showed significant improvement in the training task, indicating strong practice effects. However, no evidence of training-specific transfer was found in any of the variables investigated, and we could not replicate any of the previous findings reported. Participants in both the training and control group showed post-training improvements in most of the outcome variables, suggesting that practice effects can be found even when a task is only performed twice. We conclude by discussing possible explanations for the differences between our results and those reported in prior studies, and recommend that any claims of improvement should be supported by studies capable of replicating them.

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