Differential effects of reasoning and speed training in children

The goal of this study was to determine whether intensive training can ameliorate cognitive skills in children. Children aged 7 to 9 from low socioeconomic backgrounds participated in one of two cognitive training programs for 60 minutes/day and 2 days/week, for a total of 8 weeks. Both training pro...

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Veröffentlicht in:Developmental science 2011-05, Vol.14 (3), p.582-590
Hauptverfasser: Mackey, Allyson P., Hill, Susanna S., Stone, Susan I., Bunge, Silvia A.
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:The goal of this study was to determine whether intensive training can ameliorate cognitive skills in children. Children aged 7 to 9 from low socioeconomic backgrounds participated in one of two cognitive training programs for 60 minutes/day and 2 days/week, for a total of 8 weeks. Both training programs consisted of commercially available computerized and non‐computerized games. Reasoning training emphasized planning and relational integration; speed training emphasized rapid visual detection and rapid motor responses. Standard assessments of reasoning ability – the Test of Non‐Verbal Intelligence (TONI‐3) and cognitive speed (Coding B from WISC IV) – were administered to all children before and after training. Neither group was exposed to these standardized tests during training. Children in the reasoning group improved substantially on TONI (Cohen’s d = 1.51), exhibiting an average increase of 10 points in Performance IQ, but did not improve on Coding. By contrast, children in the speed group improved substantially on Coding (d = 1.15), but did not improve on TONI. Counter to widespread belief, these results indicate that both fluid reasoning and processing speed are modifiable by training.
ISSN:1363-755X
1467-7687
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.01005.x