A beneficial effect of a Cogmed working memory training on intelligence without an improvement in working memory capacity.

Abstract

A Cogmed working memory training was done aimed to enhance intelligence in a group of adolescents at risk for school dropout and with below average IQ through an increase in working memory capacity. The adolescents came from poor families and 84% came from minority groups. The effect of the Cogmed working memory training was tested in a randomized control trial with a reading comprehension and a no-training control group. We took care that the amount of coaching to ensure treatment integrity was similar in both training groups. The trainings took five weeks but were followed two months later by a 1-week booster. Participants were 64 students (42 boys and 22 girls) with a mean age of 14,6 years (SD ϭ 16.5 months). An intermediate-test was done after the 5 week training and a posttest at the end of the year, 3 months after the booster. Measures of working memory capacity were involved at pre-, intermediate and posttest. IQ and school achievement were included at pretest and posttest. We found short but no long-term effects on working memory capacity. Surprisingly, at posttest both trainings had an effect on IQ and school achievement in the absence of an increase in working memory capacity. We argue that these results might be due to more general aspects of these interventions, in particular the coaching and support that were provided to the students.

Considerations for advancing a well integrated comparative psychology research approach directed toward improving our understanding of fronto-executive functions.

“…The papers within this special issue encapsulate a broader and more integrative approach to understanding fronto-executive functions as we approach the conclusion of the year 2020. The special issue has brought to light the following human studies: how early damage to the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in humans can cause long-term alterations in fronto-executive functions (Okerstrom-Jezewski et al, 2020), children exhibiting disruptions in perception, cognition, and response inhibition (Zamora et al, 2020), the neurodevelopment of executive function skills (Zelazo & Carlson, 2020), how developmental lead exposure can cause fronto-executive dysfunctions (Neuwirth, Lopez, Schneider, & Markowitz, 2020), an assessment of the relationships between inhibitory mechanisms of Stroop matching and stop-signal tasks associated with impulsivity (Afonso et al, 2020), the benefits of Cogmed working memory interventions on intelligence, but not working memory capacity (de Jong & Smit, 2020), fronto-executive multidomain self-report assessments in Spanish-speaking adults (Miranda, Rivadero, Serra, & André Soria, 2020), the relationships between dual-tasking and processing speed in healthy aging (Argiris, MacPherson, Della Sala, & Foley, 2020), and the effects of age on medial prefrontal functions and associated behaviors (Iveson, Della Sala, & MacPherson, 2020). The breadth of these human studies on fronto-executive functions were complemented by the following animal studies: rodent models of cognitive aging (Blujus et al, 2020), the effects of neurodevelopmental methylphenidate treatment and behavioral outcomes (Comeau & Kolb, 2020), glutamatergic and serotonergic modulation of rat medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortex in visual serial reversal learning (Hervig et al, 2020), and the role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and context regulating fear learning and extinction in rats (Gonzalez & Fanselow, 2020).…”

Fronto-executive functions.

“…The present issue reflects new directions in the study of the development of fronto-executive functions in normal children and those with neurodevelopmental disorders. Zelazo and Carlson (2020) provide an extensive review of the development of executive functions; Okerstrom-Jezewski et al (2020) describe how early prefrontal injury to the dorsomedial prefrontal region alters behavior and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging; de Jong and Smit (2020) explore the effectiveness of working memory training in adolescents at risk for school dropout; Zamora, Richardś, Juric, Aydmune, and Introzzi (2020) investigate inhibitory processes in children; and, Neuwirth, Lopez, Schneider, and Markowitz (2020) review the effects of neurodevelopmental lead exposure on fronto-executive functions. Three papers investigated fronto-executive functions in aging.…”