Abstract
Working memory training research has produced mixed results in terms of finding benefits beyond the trained tasks (i.e., transfer). One potential limitation is that the research thus far has failed to isolate the specific combination of factors that makes working memory training work best. Individual differences in cognitive ability at pretest may be an important factor, suggesting possible aptitude-by-treatment interactions. Baseline cognitive ability could be (a) positively related, (b) negatively related, or (c) unrelated to training task improvements. The relationship between ability and training gains is important given the idea that larger training improvements should lead to greater transfer. However, the majority of training studies tend to be under-powered to examine individual differences. We pooled studies conducted in related labs to increase power while minimizing differences between studies. In the studies that were identified for this project, young adults completed complex span training and working memory and/or fluid intelligence as pretest measures. The combined samples from seven studies resulted in a sample of 192 participants. Analyses focused on the relationship between pretest cognitive ability and training performance across training days. There was no evidence that individuals lower in cognitive ability improved more than high-ability subjects on the training tasks. Instead, we found a positive relationship for both working memory and fluid intelligence measured at pretest with the amount of training improvement. In addition, the association between pretest working memory and working memory training performance appears to be domain-general—verbal and visuospatial content do not produce differential relationships.
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Notes
No studies presented here used multiple Gf tasks; therefore, calculation of composites was not necessary.
One of the four models, the WM pretest with verbal training model, was initially inconclusive with the default lmer settings. A control option was added with the Optimx package (Nash and Varadhan 2011) which allowed the model to function properly, with minimal adjustments. Fixed effect estimates were identical to the 7th decimal place. The mathematical model is identical.
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Acknowledgements
The research described here was presented at the 2018 annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association and the International Society for Intelligence Research. The data and script used for the models are available from the authors at https://osf.io/peswn/. The authors thank Dr. Kara Blacker, Dr. Jason Chein, Dr. Tyler Harrison, Dr. Meredith Minear, Dr. Elizabeth Richey, and their coauthors, for providing additional data and clarifications from their published studies included in these analyses. The authors also thank Dr. Sean Lane for his assistance with the multi-level modeling analyses.
Funding
While writing this manuscript, EAW and TSR were supported by the National Science Foundation (Award # 1632403) and the National Institutes of Health (Award # 2R01AA013650-11A1).
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Wiemers, E.A., Redick, T.S. & Morrison, A.B. The Influence of Individual Differences in Cognitive Ability on Working Memory Training Gains. J Cogn Enhanc 3, 174–185 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41465-018-0111-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41465-018-0111-2