Plasticity of executive functioning in young and older adults: Immediate training gains, transfer, and long-term maintenance.

Abstract

The authors investigated immediate training gains, transfer effects, and 18-month maintenance after 5 weeks of computer-based training in updating of information in working memory in young and older subjects. Trained young and older adults improved significantly more than controls on the criterion task (letter memory), and these gains were maintained 18 months later. Transfer effects were in general limited and restricted to the young participants, who showed transfer to an untrained task that required updating (3-back). The findings demonstrate substantial and durable plasticity of executive functioning across adulthood and old age, although there appear to be age-related constraints in the ability to generalize the acquired updating skill.

Dual n-back training increases the capacity of the focus of attention

“…However, we found no evidence that adaptive training improved active updating, at least as measured by RTs on the focus-switching task. Although some researchers believe that the running span task measures updating (e.g., Dahlin et al, 2008), Bunting et al (2006) specifically argued that although the running span task involves updating when items are presented at a slow rate, the role of active updating, as opposed to passive overwriting, is greatly diminished when items are presented at a fast rate like that used in the present study.…”

“…On the basis of examination of RTs on a modified n-back task, Verhaeghen et al (2004) reported that practice increased the number of items immediately accessible in the focus of attention. In addition, Dahlin, Nyberg, Backman, and Neely (2008) observed improvements to performance on a single n-back task following training on a running span task. The present study represents a systematic replication of Verhaeghen et al and Dahlin et al, providing more evidence for the link between the running span task, the n-back task, and the focus of attention.…”

Knowledge in Engineering: A View from the Logical Reasoning

“…Based on these principles we can argue that logic is a matter related with dual-processes, because it combines the intuitive thinking with the deliberative one, but that is not only related to thinking in abstract but also symbolize the thinking represented by sentences, and the thinking like the manipulation of statements for creating new thinking. Therefore logic, from this perspective, can be considered like the standardization of human thinking [17].…”

“…Based on these principles we can argue that logic is a matter related with dual-processes, because it combines the intuitive thinking with the deliberative one, but that is not only related to thinking in abstract but also symbolize the thinking represented by sentences, and the thinking like the manipulation of statements for creating new thinking. Therefore logic, from this perspective, can be considered like the standardization of human thinking [17].Logic and reasoning are cognitive skills by means of which can be reached solid conclusions for making decisions and problem solving in daily life. People reach conclusions based on the processes performed on the information they collect through senses.…”

“…7, No. 4, August 2015 327 rationally controlling their lives [17]. Both, logic and reasoning are part of mental processes and are necessary for mental processes that engineers apply to solve problems, and given that engineers" environment is constantly bombarded by complex stimulus involving many variable features, they must develop the logic-interpretative ability for answering to these requirements.…”