How to make the “little ones” do better in school? A study published in early 2013 in the journal Computers in Human Behavior indicates that training children’s working memory can be of great help to them.
Working memory is a cognitive ability that allows us to maintain and manipulate information in the mind despite distractions or interference, while we use it to perform an activity. It is what is set in motion when we have a conversation or when we must remember a phone number that we have been told until we can write it down. This skill develops significantly during childhood and has been linked to learning difficulties such as reading and math.
The research carried out by Alloway and his collaborators, aimed to analyze the effect of working memory training on other cognitive functions and academic performance in children with learning difficulties. The training was done by computer with various memory games for eight weeks. To calculate changes, the children were assessed before and after the intervention as well as after eight months. The experimental group that carried out intense training (four days a week) was compared with two control groups, one active that trained only one day a week, and the other passive, without training.
Results showed that the intense training group improved significantly more than the other two on tests of visual and verbal working memory, verbal skills, spelling, and a measure of intelligence. Furthermore, the effects were sustained for up to eight months after training. The authors propose, as a possible explanation, that training can increase neural efficiency, that is, less resources are needed at the brain level to perform mental activity.
Once again, the data seem to favor the advantages of training cognitive functions and at any age, with the aim of being able to give the best of ourselves.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
