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A cluster‐randomised, controlled trial of the impact of Cogmed Working Memory Training on both academic performance and regulation of social, emotional and behavioural challenges
Author(s) -
Hitchcock Caitlin,
Westwell Martin S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/jcpp.12638
Subject(s) - psychology , task (project management) , academic achievement , working memory , control (management) , working memory training , developmental psychology , continuous performance task , attentional control , social emotional learning , executive functions , social skills , reading comprehension , comprehension , reading (process) , cognitive psychology , clinical psychology , cognition , psychiatry , linguistics , philosophy , management , political science , law , economics
Background We explored whether school‐based Cogmed Working Memory Training ( CWMT ) may optimise both academic and psychological outcomes at school. Training of executive control skills may form a novel approach to enhancing processes that predict academic achievement, such as task‐related attention, and thereby academic performance, but also has the potential to improve the regulation of emotion, social problems and behavioural difficulties. Methods Primary school children (Mean age = 12 years, N = 148) were cluster‐randomised to complete active CWMT , a nonadaptive/placebo version of CWMT , or no training. Results No evidence was found for training effects on task‐related attention when performing academic tasks, or performance on reading comprehension and mathematics tasks, or teacher‐reported social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Conclusions CWMT did not improve control of attention in the classroom, or regulation of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.