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. 2021 Feb 4;11(1):3072.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82663-w.

Dual n-back working memory training evinces superior transfer effects compared to the method of loci

Wenjuan Li  1 , Qiuzhu Zhang  1 , Hongying Qiao  1 , Donggang Jin  1 , Ronald K Ngetich  1 , Junjun Zhang  1 , Zhenlan Jin  2 , Ling Li  3
Affiliations

Dual n-back working memory training evinces superior transfer effects compared to the method of loci

Wenjuan Li et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Working memory (WM) training is a prevalent intervention for multiple cognitive deficits, however, the transfer effects to other cognitive tasks from gains in WM induced by different training techniques still remains controversial. Therefore, the current study recruited three groups of young adults to investigate the memory training transference, with N-back group (NBG) (n = 50) training on dual n-back task, Memory Palace group (MPG) (n = 50) on method of loci, and a blank control group (BCG) (n = 48) receiving no training. Our results showed that both training groups separately improved WM capacity on respective trained task. For untrained tasks, both training groups enhanced performance on digit-span task, while on change detection task, significant improvement was only observed in NBG. In conclusion, while both techniques can be used as effective training methods to improve WM, the dual n-back task training method, perhaps has a more prominent transfer effect than that of method of loci.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Performance improvement over training days. These two graphs separately show the linear improvement in average training performance across the training days for each training group. Error bars indicates SD. NBG n-back group, MPG memory palace group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Performance on trained tasks for each group at pre-test and post-test. (A) Dual n-back task. Graph a reports performance on 2-back, graph b on 4-back, and graph c on 6-back. (B) Words memory task. Graph a displays performance on concrete words memory, and Graph b on abstract words memory. Error bars indicate SEM. NBG n-back group, MPG memory palace group, BCG blank control group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Performance on untrained tasks for each group at pre-test and post-test. (A) Digit-span task. The figure represents performance on digit-span scores. (B) Change detection task. Graph a depicts response time on load 2, graph b on load 4, and graph c on load 6. Error bars indicate SEM. NBG n-back group, MPG memory palace group, BCG blank control group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The flow of the study. WAIS-RC Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised in China. NBG n-back group, MPG memory palace group, BCG blank control group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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