There is no convincing evidence that working memory training is effective: A reply to Au et al. (2014) and Karbach and Verhaeghen (2014)

The possible cognitive benefits of working memory training programs have been the subject of intense interest and controversy. Recently two meta-analyses have claimed that working memory training can be effective in enhancing cognitive skills in adulthood (Au et al. Behavioural Brain Research 228:(1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychonomic bulletin & review 2016-02, Vol.23 (1), p.324-330
Main Authors: Melby-Lervåg, Monica, Hulme, Charles
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Aging
Aptitude
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Brief Report
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Cognitive Psychology
Executive Function
Female
Geriatric Assessment - methods
Humans
Intelligence
Learning
Male
Memory
Memory, Short-Term
Meta-analysis
Practice (Psychology)
Psychology
Studies
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Summary:The possible cognitive benefits of working memory training programs have been the subject of intense interest and controversy. Recently two meta-analyses have claimed that working memory training can be effective in enhancing cognitive skills in adulthood (Au et al. Behavioural Brain Research 228:(1) 107-115, 2014) and stemming cognitive decline in old age (Karbach & Verhaeghen Psychological Science 25:2027–2037, 2014). The current article critically evaluates these claims. We argue that these meta-analyses produce misleading results because of (1) biases in the studies included, (2) a failure to take account of baseline differences when calculating effect sizes, and (3) a failure to emphasize the difference between studies with treated versus untreated control groups. We present new meta-analyses and conclude that there is no convincing evidence that working memory training produces general cognitive benefits.
ISSN:1069-9384
1531-5320
DOI:10.3758/s13423-015-0862-z