Reevaluating the effectiveness of n-back training on transfer through the Bayesian lens: Support for the null

Dougherty, Michael R.; Hamovitz, Toby; Tidwell, Joe W.

doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0865-9

Cited by 93 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…These findings support the concerns of many researchers (24,27,(29)(30)(31)(32), who suggest that placebo effects may underlie positive outcomes seen in the cognitive-training literature. By capitalizing on the self-selecting tendencies of participants with strong positive beliefs about the malleability of intelligence, we were able to induce an improvement in Gf after 1 h of working memory training.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…ref. 27). However, researchers have yet to identify, test, and confirm a clear mechanism underlying fluid intelligence gains after cognitive training (28).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researchers now recognize that placebo effects may potentially confound cognitive-training [i.e., "brain training" (29)] outcomes and may underlie some of the posttraining fluid intelligence gains (24,27,(29)(30)(31)(32). Specifically, it has been argued that "overt" recruitment methods in which the expected benefits of training are stated (or implied) may lead to a sampling bias in the form of selfselection, such that individuals who expect positive results will be overrepresented in any sample of participants (29,33).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Placebo effects in cognitive training

Foroughi

Monfort

Paczynski

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

218

176

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Although a large body of research shows that general cognitive ability is heritable and stable in young adults, there is recent evidence that fluid intelligence can be heightened with cognitive training. Many researchers, however, have questioned the methodology of the cognitive-training studies reporting improvements in fluid intelligence: specifically, the role of placebo effects. We designed a procedure to intentionally induce a placebo effect via overt recruitment in an effort to evaluate the role of placebo effects in fluid intelligence gains from cognitive training. Individuals who self-selected into the placebo group by responding to a suggestive flyer showed improvements after a single, 1-h session of cognitive training that equates to a 5-to 10-point increase on a standard IQ test. Controls responding to a nonsuggestive flyer showed no improvement. These findings provide an alternative explanation for effects observed in the cognitive-training literature and the brain-training industry, revealing the need to account for confounds in future research.placebo effects | cognitive training | brain training | fluid intelligence

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…ref. 27). However, researchers have yet to identify, test, and confirm a clear mechanism underlying fluid intelligence gains after cognitive training (28).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Placebo effects in cognitive training

Foroughi

Monfort

Paczynski

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

218

176

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although some studies have observed that training executive functions can influence conceptually-related cognitive outcomes such as fluid intelligence (e.g., Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Jonides, & Perrig, 2008), these studies often share similar limitations to those examining the effects of self-control training (e.g., a lack of active control conditions; Shipstead, Redick, & Engle, 2010). Studies comparing executive function training with active control conditions have tended to find that training leads to improvements only on tasks that are very similar to the trained task, with no evidence for generalization beyond those tasks to other cognitive abilities (e.g., Dougherty, Hamovitz, & Tidwell, 2015;Harrison et al, 2013;Redick et al, 2013). In the few studies that have assessed the effects of executive function training on self-control outcomes, there is also a lack of consistent evidence for transfer.…”

Section: Integrating the Present Findings With Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does self-control improve with practice? Evidence from a six-week training program.

Miles¹,

Sheeran²,

Baird³

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

126

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Can self-control be improved through practice? Several studies have found that repeated practice of tasks involving self-control improves performance on other tasks relevant to selfcontrol. However, in many of these studies, improvements after training could be attributable to methodological factors (e.g., passive control conditions). Moreover, the extent to which the effects of training transfer to real-life settings is not yet clear. In the present research, participants (N = 174) completed a 6-week training program of either cognitive or behavioral self-control tasks. We then tested the effects of practice on a range of measures of self-control, including labbased and real-world tasks. Training was compared to both active and no-contact control conditions. Despite high levels of adherence to the training tasks, there was no effect of training on any measure of self-control. Trained participants did not, for example, show reduced ego depletion effects, become better at overcoming their habits, or report exerting more self-control in everyday life. Moderation analyses found no evidence that training was effective only among particular groups of participants. Bayesian analyses suggested that the data was more consistent with a null effect of training on self-control than with previous estimates of the effect of practice.The implication is that training self-control through repeated practice does not result in generalized improvements in self-control.Keywords: self-control, self-regulation, intervention, ego depletion, self-control training 3 Does Self-Control Improve With Practice? Evidence from a 6-Week Training Program Self-control, or the ability to control thoughts, behaviors, and feelings, seems to be important for success in most areas of life (De Ridder, Lensvelt-Mulders, Finkenauer, Stok, & Baumeister, 2012). During the past 15 years, much of the research into self-control has been inspired by the strength model, which draws the analogy between self-control and a physical muscle (for a review, see Muraven & Baumeister, 2000). This model proposes that, just as using a muscle leads to temporary fatigue, exerting self-control leads to temporary reductions in selfcontrol performance; a phenomenon that has been termed 'ego depletion' (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998). However, the strength model also suggests that if selfcontrol is repeatedly exerted over time (interspersed with periods of rest), then the opposite effect should occur. In other words, just as a muscle grows stronger with exercise, so self-control should improve over time with practice (Muraven, 2010a;Muraven, Baumeister, & Tice, 1999).The ego depletion effect has been the subject of hundreds of empirical tests, extensive analysis of mediating and moderating factors, and much lively theoretical debate (e.g., Hagger, Wood, Stiff, & Chatzisarantis, 2010;Inzlicht & Schmeichel, 2012; Carter, Kofler, Forster, & McCullough, 2015). However, the strength model's predictions about the long-term effects of exerting self-control h...

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“…Although the idea of improving general cognitive functioning within a few weeks is enticing, there is also accumulating evidence against a generalized effect of WM training (e.g., Clark et al 2017;De Simoni and von Bastian 2017;Guye and von Bastian 2017;Sprenger et al 2013). Even on the meta-analytic level, evidence is mixed regarding the effectiveness of cognitive training in both younger and older adults (e.g., Au et al 2015;Dougherty et al 2016;Karbach and Verhaeghen 2014;Kelly et al 2014;Lampit et al 2014;Melby-Lervåg and Hulme 2013;Melby-Lervåg et al 2016;Schwaighofer et al 2015;Soveri et al 2017). Aside from design and methodological choices potentially explaining the diverging findings (e.g., Noack et al 2009;Shipstead et al 2012), many authors increasingly articulated the potentially important influence of individual differences on cognitive training trajectories and outcomes (e.g., Buitenweg et al 2012;Guye et al 2016;Könen and Karbach 2015;Shah et al 2012;von Bastian and Oberauer 2014 Individual differences in cognitive functioning (e.g., Ackerman and Lohman 2006) and learning potential (e.g., Stern 2017) accentuate with increasing age (e.g., Rabbitt et al 2004) and have been shown to be related to personality (e.g., Graham and Lachman 2012), cognition-related beliefs such as need for cognition (NFC; e.g., Fleischhauer et al 2010;Hill et al 2013), and everyday life activities (e.g., Jopp and Hertzog 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Individual Differences Predict Change in Cognitive Training Performance? A Latent Growth Curve Modeling Approach

2017

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Cognitive training interventions have become increasingly popular as a potential means to cost-efficiently stabilize or enhance cognitive functioning across the lifespan. Large training improvements have been consistently reported on the group level, with, however, large differences on the individual level. Identifying the factors contributing to these individual differences could allow for developing individually tailored interventions to boost training gains. In this study, we therefore examined a range of individual differences variables that had been discussed in the literature to potentially predict training performance. To estimate and predict individual differences in the training trajectories, we applied Latent Growth Curve models to existing data from three working memory training interventions with younger and older adults. However, we found that individual differences in demographic variables, real-world cognition, motivation, cognitionrelated beliefs, personality, leisure activities, and computer literacy and training experience were largely unrelated to change in training performance. Solely baseline cognitive performance was substantially related to change in training performance and particularly so in young adults, with individuals with higher baseline performance showing the largest gains. Thus, our results conform to magnification accounts of cognitive change.Keywords Working memory training . Individual differences . Latent growth curve modeling Over the past decade, there has been an exploding interest in computer-based commercial Bbrain training^programs and in scientific evidence relating to the effectiveness of such interventions, triggered by promising results of working memory (WM) training gains generalizing to previously untrained cognitive abilities such as intelligence in both younger (e.g., Jaeggi et al. 2008) and older adults (e.g., Borella et al. 2010). Although the idea of improving general cognitive functioning within a few weeks is enticing, there is also accumulating evidence against a generalized effect of WM training (e.g., Clark et al. 2017;De Simoni and von Bastian 2017;Guye and von Bastian 2017;Sprenger et al. 2013). Even on the meta-analytic level, evidence is mixed regarding the effectiveness of cognitive training in both younger and older adults (e.g., Au et al. 2015;Dougherty et al. 2016;Karbach and Verhaeghen 2014;Kelly et al. 2014;Lampit et al. 2014;Melby-Lervåg and Hulme 2013;Melby-Lervåg et al. 2016;Schwaighofer et al. 2015;Soveri et al. 2017). Aside from design and methodological choices potentially explaining the diverging findings (e.g., Noack et al. 2009;Shipstead et al. 2012), many authors increasingly articulated the potentially important influence of individual differences on cognitive training trajectories and outcomes (e.g., Buitenweg et al. 2012;Guye et al. 2016;Könen and Karbach 2015;Shah et al. 2012;von Bastian and Oberauer 2014 Individual differences in cognitive functioning (e.g., Ackerman and Lohman 2006) and learning potential (e.g., Stern ...

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Reevaluating the effectiveness of n-back training on transfer through the Bayesian lens: Support for the null

Cited by 93 publications

References 45 publications

Placebo effects in cognitive training

Placebo effects in cognitive training

Does self-control improve with practice? Evidence from a six-week training program.

Do Individual Differences Predict Change in Cognitive Training Performance? A Latent Growth Curve Modeling Approach

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