The Effects of WorkingMemory Training on Cognitive Performance in Young Adults

1
The Effects of Working-Memory Training on
Cognitive Performance in Young Adults Anna Ing,
UNCW Honors Student Supervisor Jeffrey P. Toth,
Ph.D. Department of Psychology, UNCW
ABSTRACT
Trivia Poker
Art Dealer
Working-memory--the ability to temporarily
remember and manipulate information--has been the
focus of recent research, due to the central role
it is thought to play in both intelligence and
age-related cognitive decline. At the same time,
research on the effects of computer games has led
to the creation of game-based training programs
that may improve cognition, and slow, reverse, or
prevent age-related cognitive decline. Research
in the UNCW Aging Cognitive Training (ACT) Lab
has been involved in this research effort by
using computer games that incorporate training
principles into game play. One game (Art Dealer)
trains recollection, a high-level form of
long-term memory that shows significant
age-related decline. Initial research with Art
Dealer has suggested that it can improve
recollection and related abilities in older
adults. The second game (Trivia Poker) targets
working-memory and is the focus of my current
research which is directed at improving
working-memory in UNCW students.

• Art Dealer is based on an Avoiding
  Repetitions/Incremented Difficulty training
  procedure that has been shown to increase memory
  in older adults2. The procedure works by
  requiring players to increasingly rely on
  recollection, an executive form of memory, in
  order to override familiarity, an automatic form
  of memory. The game builds on this training
  procedure, adding a number of game elements
  (e.g., classic art, a virtual partner, financial
  decisions) to increase challenge, interest,
  motivation to play.

• Trivia Poker is based on working-memory (WM)
  "span" tasks that have been linked to
  frontal-lobe activity and are strongly correlated
  with fluid intelligence4.
• In addition to adding motivational game elements
  (e.g., poker hands), the game uses multiple forms
  of "trivia" (math questions, foreign-language
  vocabulary, pop culture) that can train general
  knowledge in addition to working memory skills.

Game Play
Game Play
Background Neurogenesis. Contrary to
prior assumptions, humans generate new neurons
throughout the lifetime, including in the
hippocampus and possibly in the frontal
lobe. Neuroplasticity. Neuroimaging results have
shown that older adults retain the ability to
alter the structure function their brains based
on experience. Computer Games Cognition.
Commercial computer games have been shown to
improve many cognitive abilities1. The potential
of these games may increase by weaving
science-based training principles into the fabric
of game play. The games shown here were
developed by Minds Refined LLC and are based on
published cognitive-training principles.
Each of the 28 rounds begins with a brief artist
biography...
followed by presentation of 16 'original'
paintings by the selected artist.
The player then tries to buy these originals at
an art sale while avoiding any forgeries.
Age-related Cognitive Decline. Cognitive skills
underlying executive functions and fluid
intelligence begin to decline in a person's 20's
or 30's. Fluid Intelligence. The ability to
adapt thinking to a new problem or situation.
One to five cards are dealt face up and then
turned face down.
A timed 'trivia' question is then asked.
Answering it correctly puts money in the 'Trivia
Pot'.
After the sale, players get feedback from their
financier
and can visit their art gallery to view their
paintings
or sell some in order to pay off any outstanding
loans.

• The are currently about 40 million seniors (65)
  in the U.S.
• By 2030, the number of seniors is expected to be
  about 70 million (20 of the population).
• In NC, the number of seniors is expected to
  double by 2030, with those 75 going up 150.

Research
But to win the money in the Trivia Pot, players
must recall their cards in the order they were
presented.
For correctly recalled hands, players are given
the option to 'double-down', playing their hand
against the dealer's.

• An initial study (n22) examined whether Art
  Dealer could increase cognitive abilities in
  older adults3.

Research

• Compared to a control group, those who played Art
  Dealer for 8 hours showed increases in working
  memory, long-term memory, processing speed, and
  also showed generalization to verbal stimuli.

• Two lines of research are being conducted with
  Trivia Poker, one focused on assessing WM, the
  other on training WM.

• We are replicating this study and extending it to
  patients with traumatic brain injury early
  dementia.

• My research focuses on the training version in
  which students are given the game to play for
  seven days between two assessment sessions.

Future Directions
Training with Commercial Games
Training with Theory-Based Games
Training Efficacy Neurocognitive Theory

• References
• Green, C.S. Bavelier, D. (2003). Action video
  games modify visual attention. Nature, 423,
  534-537.
• 2. Jennings, J.M. Jacoby, L.L. (2003).
  Improving memory in older adults Training
  recollection. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation,
  13, 417-440.
• 3. Toth, J.P., Daniels, K., Jacoby, L. L. Art
  Dealer A computer game for enhancing cognition
  in older adults. Unpublished manuscript.
• 4. Kane, M. J., Engle, R. W. (2002). The role
  of prefrontal cortex in working-memory capacity,
  executive attention, and general fluid
  intelligence An individual-differences
  perspective. Psychonomic Bulletin Review, 9,
  637-671.
• 5. Colcombe, S.J. et al. (2006). Aerobic
  exercise training increases brain volume in aging
  humans. Journal of Gerontology Medical Sciences,
  61A, 1166-1170.

Combining Cognitive Training with Aerobic Exercise

• Proven training principles have been developed
  for a number of cognitive skills including
  multi-tasking face-name learning.

• One of most critical issues in this area is
  understanding why particular training games work.
  Addressing that issue requires one to confront
  some of the most complex questions about human
  cognition and its neural basis.

• Research has shown increased brain volume
  cognitive skill following aerobic exercise5. An
  exciting possibility is that combining the two
  may produce even greater gains in performance.
  

• Commercial video games can improve cognitive
  skills1. Knowing the nature and size of these
  effects could lead to affordable training options
  for many populations.

• Embedding these principles into widely-available
  games could improve health outcomes in a variety
  of domains.