Cognitive Training: Improving Deficits in Working Memory for College Students

Event Center A & B

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of cognitive training among college students who exhibit deficits in working memory (WM). Namely, the effects of two iPad-based games (Recall and Ultimeyes) were evaluated using a pre- and post-testing paradigm. Because working memory is associated with academic performance, improving deficits in this capability is crucial in a scholastic setting. Students from California State University, San Bernardino will be asked to participate. Based upon a working memory screening, those who obtain a scaled score of 7 or lower on a normreferenced measure of working memory will be eligible for the training program. Ten hours of training will be administered in 30-minute sessions, over the course of 4 weeks. The pre-test tasks include the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning 2 (WRAML2), the Operation-Span (O-SPAN), and the Symmetry-Span (S-SPAN). Pre- and post-test scores will be compared after all training sessions have been completed. We expect to find a main effect on working memory for the dual n-back training (Recall) game, but no main effect for the visual acuity task (Ultimeyes). Three one-way Analyses of Variances (ANOVA) will be used to test for significant differences between pre- and post-test scores (p < .05). The ANOVAs will test for pre- and post-test differences as indicated by the WRAML2, O-Span, and S-Span.