TY - JOUR
T1 - The cognitive and academic benefits of Cogmed
T2 - A meta-analysis
AU - Aksayli, N. Deniz
AU - Sala, Giovanni
AU - Gobet, Fernand
N1 - Funding Information:
We gratefully thank all the researchers who provided unpublished data. The support of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [ GS; 17F17313 ] is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank Walter Boot and Daniel Simons for their feedback on the classification of near-transfer effects.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors
PY - 2019/6
Y1 - 2019/6
N2 - Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT) is a commercial cognitive-training program designed to foster working-memory capacity. Enhanced working-memory capacity is then supposed to increase one's overall cognitive function and academic achievement. This meta-analysis investigates the effects of CWMT on cognitive and academic outcomes. The inclusion criteria were met by 50 studies (637 effect sizes). Highly consistent near-zero effects were estimated in far-transfer measures of cognitive ability (e.g., attention and intelligence) and academic achievement (language ability and mathematics). By contrast, slightly heterogeneous small to medium effects were observed in memory tasks (i.e., near transfer). Moderator analysis showed that these effects were weaker for near-transfer measures not directly related to the trained tasks. These results highlight that, while near transfer occurs regularly, far transfer is rare or, possibly, inexistent. Transfer thus appears to be a function of the degree of overlap between trained tasks and outcome tasks.
AB - Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT) is a commercial cognitive-training program designed to foster working-memory capacity. Enhanced working-memory capacity is then supposed to increase one's overall cognitive function and academic achievement. This meta-analysis investigates the effects of CWMT on cognitive and academic outcomes. The inclusion criteria were met by 50 studies (637 effect sizes). Highly consistent near-zero effects were estimated in far-transfer measures of cognitive ability (e.g., attention and intelligence) and academic achievement (language ability and mathematics). By contrast, slightly heterogeneous small to medium effects were observed in memory tasks (i.e., near transfer). Moderator analysis showed that these effects were weaker for near-transfer measures not directly related to the trained tasks. These results highlight that, while near transfer occurs regularly, far transfer is rare or, possibly, inexistent. Transfer thus appears to be a function of the degree of overlap between trained tasks and outcome tasks.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.edurev.2019.04.003
DO - 10.1016/j.edurev.2019.04.003
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85065734515
SN - 1747-938X
VL - 27
SP - 229
EP - 243
JO - Educational Research Review
JF - Educational Research Review
ER -