ERIC Number: EJ1062972
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0046-1520
EISSN: N/A
Does Working Memory Training Transfer? A Meta-Analysis Including Training Conditions as Moderators
Schwaighofer, Matthias; Fischer, Frank; Bühner, Markus
Educational Psychologist, v50 n2 p138-166 2015
A meta-analysis was undertaken to reexamine near- and far-transfer effects following working-memory training and to consider potential moderators more systematically. Forty-seven studies with 65 group comparisons were included in the meta-analysis. Results showed near-transfer effects to short-term and working-memory skills that were sustained at follow-up with effect sizes ranging from g = 0.37 to g = 0.72 for immediate transfer and g = 0.22 to g = 0.78 for long-term transfer. Far-transfer effects to other cognitive skills were small, limited to nonverbal (g = 0.14) and verbal (g = 0.16) ability and not sustained at follow-up. Several moderators (e.g., duration of training sessions, supervision during training) had an influence on transfer effects, including far-transfer effects. We present principles for how best to improve working memory through training in the narrow-task paradigm and conjecture how best to improve basic cognitive functions in complex activity contexts.
Descriptors: Short Term Memory, Meta Analysis, Transfer of Training, Task Analysis, Effect Size, Comparative Analysis, Cognitive Processes, Nonverbal Ability, Verbal Ability, Teaching Methods, Coding, Visual Perception, Spatial Ability, Culture Fair Tests, Measures (Individuals), Control Groups, Supervision, Feedback (Response), Intervention, Literature Reviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Nelson Denny Reading Tests; Wechsler Intelligence Scales Short Forms
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A