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Comment
. 2022 Oct 18;119(42):e2214268119.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2214268119. Epub 2022 Oct 5.

Unpacking placebo and working memory training effects on cognitive performance

Tor D Wager  1 , Heejung Jung  1
Affiliations
Comment

Unpacking placebo and working memory training effects on cognitive performance

Tor D Wager et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Investigating relationships between expectation and performance. (A) The experimental design in Parong et al. (3,12), which crosses a WM training vs. trivia-learning control manipulation with a placebo vs. nocebo expectation manipulation. (B) Potential mechanisms of placebo and nocebo effects. Expectancy manipulations can affect performance mindset—a collection of beliefs about the value and efficacy of training. Mindset can, in turn, affect performance in several ways. First, mindsets can affect attention, task engagement, and task relevance, leading to performance changes. In addition, evaluation of performance feedback (e.g., whether performance meets one’s expectations) updates one’s mindset. Mindset can affect how performance feedback is evaluated, creating a positive feedback loop that could result in cumulative long-term effects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

  • Expectation effects in working memory training.
    Parong J, Seitz AR, Jaeggi SM, Green CS. Parong J, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Sep 13;119(37):e2209308119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2209308119. Epub 2022 Sep 6. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022. PMID: 36067292 Free PMC article.

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    1. Parong J., Seitz A. R., Jaeggi S. M., Green C. S., Expectation effects in working memory training. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 119, e2209308119 (2022). - PMC - PubMed
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