scholarly journals THE EFFECTS OF EMOTIONAL WORKING MEMORY TRAINING ON TRAIT ANXIETY

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Veloso ◽  
◽  
Welison Evenston Ty
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Anxiety Reduction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention

"Trait anxiety is a pervasive tendency to attend to and experience fears and worries to a disproportionate degree, across various situations. This study sought to determine if participants who undergo emotional working memory training will have significantly lower scores on the trait anxiety scales post-intervention. The study also sought to determine if emotional regulation mediated the relationship between working memory training and trait anxiety. Trait anxiety was measured using the form Y2 of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y2). Emotion regulation was measured using the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Forty-nine participants underwent 20 days of computerized emotional working memory training called Emotional Dual n-back, which involves viewing a continuous stream of emotional content on a 3x3 grid, and then remembering the location and color of items presented on the grid. The control group consisted of fifty-one participants. Participants of the treatment group had significantly lower trait anxiety compared to controls post-intervention. Mediation analysis determined that working memory training was significantly related to trait anxiety reduction as measured by the STAI-Y2. Emotion regulation was found not to mediate between working memory training and trait anxiety reduction. Results suggest that working memory training may be useful in reducing psychoemotional symptoms of trait anxiety. Moreover, it proposes for future research to further look into the mediating role of emotion regulation via neuroimaging and the development of more comprehensive measures of emotion regulation."

scholarly journals The Effects of Emotional Working Memory Training on Trait Anxiety

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle C. Veloso ◽  
Welison Evenston G. Ty
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Anxiety Reduction ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Experimental Group

BackgroundTrait anxiety is a pervasive tendency to attend to and experience fears and worries to a disproportionate degree, across various situations. Decreased vulnerability to trait anxiety has been linked to having higher working memory capacity and better emotion regulation; however, the relationship between these factors has not been well-established.ObjectiveThis study sought to determine if participants who undergo emotional working memory training will have significantly lower trait anxiety post-training. The study also sought to determine if emotion regulation mediated the relationship between working memory training and trait anxiety.MethodAn experimental group comprising of 49 participants underwent 20 days of computerized emotional working memory training, which involved viewing a continuous stream of emotionally-charged content on a grid, and then remembering the location and color of items presented on the grid. The control group comprised of 51 participants.ResultsParticipants of the experimental group had significantly lower trait anxiety compared to controls, post-training. Subsequent mediation analysis determined that working memory training capacity gains were significantly related to anxiety reduction as measured by form Y2 of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y2). Emotion regulation, as measured by the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), was found not to mediate between working memory capacity gains and trait anxiety reduction.ConclusionWorking memory capacity gains and reductions in levels of trait anxiety were observed following emotional working memory training. The study may therefore be useful in informing interventions targeted at improving working memory capacity, and reducing levels of trait anxiety. Moreover, it proposes for future research to further look into the mediating role of emotion regulation via the development or utilization of more comprehensive measures of emotion regulation.

When expanding training from working memory to emotional working memory: not only improving explicit emotion regulation but also implicit negative control for anxious individuals

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Dong-ni Pan ◽  
Delhii Hoid ◽  
Xiao-bo Wang ◽  
Zhuo Jia ◽  
Xuebing Li
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Stroop Task ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Emotional Stroop ◽  
Test Procedures ◽  
Emotional Stroop Task

Abstract Background The effect of working memory training (WM-T) has been found to transfer to emotional wellbeing, despite some debate on whether an affective component in training is necessary to achieve specific emotion-related benefits. These novel cognitive trainings have not yet been tested in highly anxious individuals, who have deficits in implicit and explicit emotional regulation and should be the potential beneficiaries of these trainings. Methods We designed two types of mobile phone-based training applications: (1) WMT and (2) an emotional working memory training (EWM-T) that comprised negative face distraction. Ninety-eight participants (33, WM-T; 35, EWM-T; 30, Control group) with high trait anxiety completed the 21-day intervention or placebo program and conducted pre- and post-test procedures, including questionnaires, emotional regulation and emotional Stroop tasks alongside electroencephalogram recording. Late positive potential (LPP) in emotion regulation task and P3 in the emotional Stroop task were adopted as neutral indicators for the explicit and implicit affective regulation/control processing. Results Those who had received training (WM-T and EWM-T) showed enhanced explicit regulation (indexed by reduced LPP during reappraisal) compared with the control. Besides, individuals in EWM-T showed reduced behavioral attention bias and a decline of P3 in response to negative faces in an emotional Stroop task. The altered neural indicators were correlated with corresponding behavior indexes that contributed to the anxiety alleviation. Conclusions The general WM-T was effective in enhancing explicit emotional regulation, while training with emotional add-in further improved implicit emotional control. (E)WM-T shows potential as a beneficial intervention for the anxiety population.

scholarly journals Parent-Child Mindfulness-Based Training: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 2515690X2110021
Author(s):  
Courtney H. Guenther ◽  
Rebecca L. Stephens ◽  
Macy L. Ratliff ◽  
Sarah J. Short
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Mindfulness Skills ◽  
Parent Child

Stress in young children can interfere with academic achievement. To help address stress and aid in developing beneficial lifelong coping skills, educational systems are more widely incorporating programs that teach social and emotional regulation, such as mindfulness-based programs. The effects of these programs may be strengthened through parental support in the home environment. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a new Parent-Child Mindfulness-Based Training (PC-MBT) program, which delivered mindfulness-based training to parents and children simultaneously in the home environment. This study also implemented a working memory training after PC-MBT to assess the feasibility of completing two trainings sequentially. Healthy children, ages 8-10 ( n = 14), and their parents participated in the PC-MBT program. They met with an instructor at home and online each week for 6 weeks and were provided resources including books, worksheets, audio recordings, and daily practices to reinforce mindfulness skills. A control group ( n = 8) participated in the working memory training only. All PC-MBT and control children, except one, participated in the working memory training. All PC-MBT assigned families completed the PC-MBT program, and a majority utilized all types of the mindfulness training materials. A majority of participants also reported high levels of enjoyment and understanding of the PC-MBT program. This study establishes the feasibility and acceptability of the PC-MBT program and lays the foundation for future studies to assess program efficacy in healthy and clinical populations as well as the utility of PC-MBT to improve engagement and outcomes of other cognitive training programs.

Working memory training improves emotion regulation in drug abstainers: Evidence from frontal alpha asymmetry

2021 ◽  
Vol 742 ◽  
pp. 135513
Author(s):  
Yaling Deng ◽  
Lulu Hou ◽  
Xiaoying Chen ◽  
Renlai Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Alpha Asymmetry ◽  
Frontal Alpha Asymmetry

Working Memory Training in Children: A Review of Basic Methodological Criteria

2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 605-632
Author(s):  
Santiago Vernucci ◽  
Lorena Canet Juric ◽  
Isabel Introzzi ◽  
María M. Richard’s
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Internal Validity ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Complex Skills ◽  
Great Relevance

Working memory is a process of great relevance during childhood due to its role in diverse complex skills. Like the rest of executive functions, it is highly sensitive to environmental influences, so it is assumed that it could be modified through targeted interventions. A large number of working memory training studies in children aim to achieve transfer effects both on this process and on those with which it is related. Although some promising results have been found, the efficacy of working memory training cannot be affirmed; methodological quality of studies is one of the main reasons for this. Compliance with basic methodological criteria (inclusion of a control group that must preferably be active, random assignment of participants to groups) has a great impact on the internal validity of the studies. Furthermore, the need to control for the effects of motivational factors associated with the intervention is added and emphasized. This study reviews the fulfillment of these criteria in process-based working memory training literature in children, analyzing its impact on internal validity. Limitations of the field in relation to the lack of compliance with the proposed criteria are discussed and alternatives are suggested in order to improve the quality of future studies.

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.

scholarly journals Game elements improve performance in a working memory training task

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Ninaus ◽  
Gonçalo Pereira ◽  
René Stefitz ◽  
Rui Prada ◽  
Ana Paiva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Training Task ◽  
Level Indicator ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
The Impact

The utilization of game elements in a non-game context is currently used in a vast range of different domains. However, research on game elements’ effects in cognitive tasks is still sparse. Thus, in this study we implemented three game elements, namely, progress bar, level indicator, and a thematic setting, in a working memory training task. We evaluated the impact of game elements on user performance and perceived state of flow when compared to a conventional version of the task. Participants interacting with game elements showed higher scores in the working memory training task than participants from a control group who completed the working memory training task without the game elements. Moreover, game elements facilitated the individuals’ performance closer to their maximum working memory capacity. Finally, the perceived flow did not differ between the two groups, which indicates that game elements can induce better performance without changing the perception of being “in the zone”, that is without an increase in anxiety or boredom. This empirical study indicates that certain game elements can improve the performance and efficiency in a working memory task by increasing users’ ability and willingness to train at their optimal performance level. 

Working memory training improves emotion regulation ability: Evidence from HRV

2016 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lichao Xiu ◽  
Renlai Zhou ◽  
Yihan Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training
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