Söderqvist Stina, Bergman Nutley Sissela
Clinical Research, Pearson Clinical Assessment Stockholm, Sweden.
Front Psychol. 2015 Nov 10;6:1711. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01711. eCollection 2015.
Training working memory (WM) using computerized programs has been shown to improve functions directly linked to WM such as following instructions and attention. These functions influence academic performance, which leads to the question of whether WM training can transfer to improved academic performance. We followed the academic performance of two age-matched groups during 2 years. As part of the curriculum in grade 4 (age 9-10), all students in one classroom (n = 20) completed Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT) whereas children in the other classroom (n = 22) received education as usual. Performance on nationally standardized tests in math and reading was used as outcome measures at baseline and two years later. At baseline both classes were normal/high performing according to national standards. At grade 6, reading had improved to a significantly greater extent for the training group compared to the control group (medium effect size, Cohen's d = 0.66, p = 0.045). For math performance the same pattern was observed with a medium effect size (Cohen's d = 0.58) reaching statistical trend levels (p = 0.091). Moreover, the academic attainments were found to correlate with the degree of improvements during training (p < 0.053). This is the first study of long-term (>1 year) effects of WM training on academic performance. We found performance on both reading and math to be positively impacted after completion of CWMT. Since there were no baseline differences between the groups, the results may reflect an influence on learning capacity, with improved WM leading to a boost in students' capacity to learn. This study is also the first to investigate the effects of CWMT on academic performance in typical or high achieving students. The results suggest that WM training can help optimize the academic potential of high performers.
使用计算机程序训练工作记忆（WM）已被证明可以改善与WM直接相关的功能，如遵循指令和注意力。这些功能会影响学业成绩，这就引出了一个问题，即WM训练是否能转化为学业成绩的提高。我们对两个年龄匹配的组进行了为期两年的学业成绩跟踪。作为四年级（9 - 10岁）课程的一部分，一个班级的所有学生（n = 20）完成了Cogmed工作记忆训练（CWMT），而另一个班级的儿童（n = 22）则照常接受教育。在基线和两年后，将全国标准化数学和阅读测试的成绩用作结果指标。根据国家标准，在基线时两个班级的表现都处于正常/高水平。在六年级时，与对照组相比，训练组的阅读成绩有了显著更大程度的提高（中等效应量，科恩d = 0.66，p = 0.045）。对于数学成绩，观察到了相同的模式，中等效应量（科恩d = 0.58）达到了统计趋势水平（p = 0.091）。此外，发现学业成就与训练期间的提高程度相关（p < 0.053）。这是第一项关于WM训练对学业成绩长期（>1年）影响的研究。我们发现完成CWMT后，阅读和数学成绩都受到了积极影响。由于两组之间在基线时没有差异，结果可能反映了对学习能力的影响，WM的改善导致学生学习能力的提升。这项研究也是第一项调查CWMT对典型或成绩优异学生学业成绩影响的研究。结果表明，WM训练有助于优化成绩优异学生的学术潜力。
