Described results are obtained from the project supported by the National Science Centre in Poland under grant no. 2014/13/B/HS6/03155.

The SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities Ethics Committee assessed the protocol described here. A written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki was obtained from every participant.
1. Participants recruitment
<ol>
	<li>Recruit at least 36 volunteers for each training group. This number was evidenced to be enough to observe between-groups effects by authors&#39; previous research and also in the literature on the subject. Typical effect sizes in working ...

<ol>
	<li>Baddeley, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Working+memory:+Looking+back+and+looking+forward.">Working memory: Looking back and looking forward.</a> Nature Reviews Neuroscience. , (2003).</li><li>Au, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Improving+fluid+intelligence+with+training+on+working+memory:+a+meta-analysis.">Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory: a meta-analysis.</a> Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 22, 366-377 (2015).</li><li>Karbach, J., Verhaeghen, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Making+working+memory+work:+A+meta-analysis+of+executive+control+and+working+memory+training+in+younger+and+older+adults.">Making working memory work: A meta-analysis of executive control and working memory training in younger and older adults.</a> Psychological Science. 25, 11-2027 (2014).</li><li>Melby-Lerv&#229;g, M., Hulme, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Is+working+memory+training+effective?+A+meta-analytic+review.">Is working memory training effective? A meta-analytic review.</a> Developmental Psychology. , (2013).</li><li>Melby-Lerv&#229;g, M., Redick, T. S., Hulme, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Working+Memory+Training+Does+Not+Improve+Performance+on+Measures+of+Intelligence+or+Other+Measures+of+&amp;#34;Far+Transfer&amp;#34;:+Evidence+From+a+Meta-Analytic+Review.">Working Memory Training Does Not Improve Performance on Measures of Intelligence or Other Measures of &amp;#34;Far Transfer&amp;#34;: Evidence From a Meta-Analytic Review.</a> Perspectives on Psychological Science. , (2016).</li><li>Schwaighofer, M., Fischer, F., B&#252;hner, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Does+Working+Memory+Training+Transfer?+A+Meta-Analysis+Including+Training+Conditions+as+Moderators.">Does Working Memory Training Transfer? 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In the study presented here, we have investigated whether older adults could benefit from working memory training and if it is connected to the initial level of their basic cognition. We used an n-back task as an experimental intervention and working memory capacity (measured with the OSPAN task) was the method to probe participants&#39; initial level of intellectual functioning. We had two critical steps in the protocol. The first and most important was the assessment of the initial WM level. The second was the careful ...

In many cognitive trainings studies, the dual n-back task is used as a method of working memory (WM) training. WM is a common target of cognitive interventions because of its importance for other, higher level intellectual functions1. However, the effectiveness of such training and its potential for creating a more general improvement in cognition, has been highly debated (for meta-analysis, see2,3,4,5,6,7,14 and for reviews, see4,8,9,10,11,12,13). While some researchers claim that &#39;&#39;&#8230; there was no convincing evidence of the generalization of working memory training to other skills&#39;&#39;4, others present meta-analytical data, which show highly significant effects of WM training2,3,5,6,11. The separate problem is the effectiveness of WM in the elderly population. Several WM training studies reported greater benefits in younger adults compared to older adults15,16,17,18,19,20, whereas others show that similar effects can be observed in both age groups21,22,23,24,25.
Various elements are believed to forecast the benefits of memory training26. Some of those factors appears to be potential moderators of WM training effectiveness21. Mental capacity, being described as the baseline cognitive capacity or general cognitive resource, seems to be one of the strongest choices for this position. In order to assess the role of the initial intellectual level, we put a special emphasis (the method described here) on the measurement of the cognitive capacity before applying a training regimen. It was dictated by the data showing that participants, who are characterized by higher cognitive capacity at the beginning of the training, achieved substantially better training outcomes compared to those with lower levels of initial cognitive functionning27. A similar phenomenon is observed in educational research, where it is referred to as the Matthew effect28, an observation that people with initially better skill improve even more when compared to those with preliminary lower level of ability in question.
It is thought-provoking, though, that not so many reports have been published on this topic21,29. Moreover, even substantial individual differences, especially when it comes to the elderly population, are often left unattended during data analysis and interpretation30. In the present study, we examine the impact of the initial level of working memory capacity on WM training success in the group of healthy older adults. In order to maintain every element of the training regimens as similar as possible between experimental and control groups, we employed an active control group design. Therefore, the training content (WM versus semantic memory) remained the one crucial factor determining the expected difference in the training results. Both groups performed computerized, home-based trainings. Members of the experimental group were assigned to an adaptive dual n-back training program and an active control group trained with a task based on a semantic memory quiz. New in the approach here is the emphasis on the initial evaluation of the participants&#39; cognitive level by assessing their working memory capacity (WMC). Additionally, the method of assessing the initial WMC level we present in this article has proven to be an effective tool in distinguishing between people who will and will not be successful during subsequent working memory training. We have previously described and published results from this study44. Therefore, in this article we are focusing on a detailed description of the protocol we used.

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	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">GEx</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">n/a</td>
			<td style="width:289px;">authorial online platform: 
			used for N-back training, Quiz</td>
			<td style="width:349px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">IBM Corporation</td>
			<td style="width:289px;">SPSS software was used to compute statistical analysis.</td>
			<td style="width:349px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Inquisit version 4.0.8.0</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">Millisecond Software</td>
			<td style="width:289px;">software: tool for designing and administering experiments 
			used for: The Sternberg Task, The Linear Syllogism Task and presenting the instructions for baseline EEG recording</td>
			<td style="width:349px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">MATLAB R2018b</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">The MathWorks, Inc</td>
			<td style="width:289px;">MATLAB software was used to compute statistics and to export databases and&#160; visualisation of the results</td>
			<td style="width:349px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">PsychoPy version 2 v.1.83.04</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">Jonathan Peirce; supported by University of Nottingham</td>
			<td style="width:289px;">open-source software 
			used for: Go/no Go Task, The Switching Task, Running Memory Span Taskckage based on Python</td>
			<td style="width:349px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Sublime Text (version 2.0.2)</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">n/a</td>
			<td style="width:289px;">open-source software: HTML editor 
			used for: online OSPAN Task</td>
			<td style="width:349px;"></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
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working memory training for older participants: a control group training regimen and initial intellectual functioning assessment

The efficacy of cognitive training interventions is recently highly debated. There is no consensus on what kind of training regimen is the most effective. Also, individual characteristics as predictors of training outcome are still being investigated. In this article, we show the attempt to address this issue by examining not only the impact of working memory (WM) training on cognitive effectiveness in older adults but also the influence of the initial WM capacity (WMC) on the training&#39;s outcome. We describe in detail how to perform 5 weeks of an adaptive dual n-back training with an active control group (memory quiz). We are focusing here on technical aspects of the training as well as on the initial assessment of participants&#39; WMC. The evaluation of pre and post training performance of other cognitive dimensions was based on the results of tests of memory updating, inhibition, attention shifting, short-term memory (STM) and reasoning. We have found that the initial level of WMC predicts the efficiency of the n-back training intervention. We have also noticed the post training improvement in almost all aspects of cognitive functioning we measured, but those effects were mostly intervention independent.

Training-related effects
85 subjects participated in the study (29 were male) and they were on average 66.7 years old. Due to technical problems, data from one participant in the n-back training group was not recorded. Finally, the data from 43 participants in n-back training group and 42 in Quiz training group were analyzed. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with repeated measures was used to analyze t...

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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

A cognitive training intervention in elderly population together with the assessment of the pre training cognitive abilities is presented. We show two versions of training - experimental and active control - and demonstrate their effects on the array of cognitive tests.

The efficacy of cognitive training interventions is recently highly debated. There is no consensus on what kind of training regimen is the most effective. ...

Working memory is critical for cognitive function and determines the efficiency of learning new skills. Our training aims to improve this cognitive performance while also considering the initial level of the trainee. By carefully designing procedures for experimental and active control groups, we have developed a training that incorporates the critical factor for determining the expected differences in training effectiveness.Alexandra Bramorska, a PhD student from our lab will be demonstrating the procedure. Before beginning each procedure, give very clear and detailed instruction to the participants about how to perform each task. For an initial operation span task assessment, run a training block that automatically estimates the individual time needed for each participant to calculate a simple mathematical equation.In the next training block display one letter on the screen at a time for 500 milliseconds per letter. After a full set of three to nine letters, present a matrix of 12 letters to the participant and have the participant click on the letters in the order that they were presented without a time limit. In the final block, combine the two training blocks presenting two to five equation letter pairs before displaying the letter matrix.For running memory span task assessment, present information about the number of letters to be remembered in the task and to have the participants begin the task when they are ready. A sequence of letters should be presented in black font in the center of a white screen for about 0.25 seconds per letter. After each letter sequence, display a nine letter matrix on the screen and have the participant mark the appropriate letters in the order that they appeared without a time limit.After confirming that the participant understands the task, have the participant repeat the task with the experimental sequence. For a switching task assessment, use a horizontal line to divide the screen into two parts and to present red squares or rectangles composed of smaller squares or rectangles above or below this line. Instruct the participant to click the left button and say rectangle when small figures are observed in the upper part of the screen.And to click the right button and to say square when a whole figure composed from smaller figures is observed in the lower part of the screen. Then, display the figures above or below the middle line in random order. After completing the training block, have the participant perform the experimental task It is essential for participants to understand and comply with the training protocols.Because without their comprehension, you cannot be sure what really influences their results. Before beginning either the experimental N-back or control quiz training, provide the participant with a login and password for the internet platform to allow the participant to enter the site only once every 24 hours to avoid situations in which the participant trains more than once a day. Explain to the participant that the initial level of N is two in the first block of the task.And that the difficulty level may increase or decrease depending on the performance. Make clear that the whole session will last for 15 rounds with 20 plus end trials per round and that the whole training is set to 25 sessions. After explaining the task at level N equals two, use alphabet letters as auditory stimuli and green squares in one of nine locations in a three by three matrix as visual stimuli.E.I.E.For a control quiz session, present 15 questions in each training session of the quiz task with no time limit for reading the questions. Instruct the participant to select one of the four given possibilities within 40 seconds of answering the question. In this representative experiment, 43 participants in the N-back training group and 42 in the quiz training group were analyzed.Multivariate analysis of variants of the independent variables revealed statistically significant post-training improvement in the syllogisms and attention switching tasks. A significant training group effect was observed for the memory SPAN and OSPAN tasks. None of the interaction effects were proven to be statistically significant.However, in the OSPAN task, the N-back training group improved their results in the second session while both performances were similar for the quiz group. The performances in the Sternberg's and go no go tasks were not related to a training group assignment or to the time of measurement. Multilevel analysis demonstrated that the OSPAN scores from the pre-training measurement were a significant predictor of the N-back outcome as starting from the first session participants with higher levels of OSPAN points had a much better performance of the N-back task throughout the training.Since the training take place at home, it is essential for participants to understand and comply with the training protocols. Because without their comprehension you cannot be really sure what influences the results.

working-memory-training-for-older-participants-control-group-training

Research

JoVE Journal

Behavior

4.4K vistas.  SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Working memory is critical for cognitive function and determines the efficiency of learning new skills. Our training aims to improve this cognitive performance while also considering the initial level of the trainee. By carefully designing procedures for experimental and active control groups, we have developed a training that incorporates the critical factor for determining the expected differences in training effectiveness.Alexandra Bramorska, a PhD student from our lab will be demon...