Cogmed working memory training
Cogmed Working Memory Training is a home-based computerized brain training program. Cogmed was designed by world class neuroscientists to help people improve their working memory. Research and a growing body of experience shows that it is possible to strengthen working memory through training and practice.
We know from brain science that the brain is capable of enormous change through experience. Brain scientists call this capacity neuroplasticity. The brain is plastic – capable of being shaped. A few years ago, neuroscientists who were studying working memory concluded that we can train the brain to improve working memory. So they teamed up with videogame developers to create a computerized program to improve working memory through very intense exercise and training.
The result of their efforts is a computerized working memory training program called Cogmed Working Memory Training.
You can learn more about Cogmed working memory training and the research that supports it at www.cogmed.com.
What is working memory?
For all of us, working memory capacity is small. Researchers have estimated that most of us can store no more than seven bits of information. But if your working memory capacity is even smaller, then information that is stored is easily lost through overload or through distraction. With distraction, you end up putting into working memory things you don’t need to get the task done and so the information you do need is lost.
Working memory problems are common with ADHD, and may be part of the problem when school performance is poor. They occur with brain injury, and stroke and often develop with aging. Research with ADHD shows that the gap in capacity for working memory grows across childhood.
Until the development of Cogmed Working Memory Training, there was no treatment proven specifically to improve working memory.
What is Cogmed like?
In this program, there are a series of engaging working memory games and challenges. The working memory challenges, like most popular videogames, get progressively harder as your skills improve. Cogmed Working Memory Training provides scientifically designed working memory exercise and practice. Just like physical exercise, it leads to improved skill and capacity.
Research has shown that working memory improves and that the improvements last long after the training ends. It has been shown to be effective for working memory deficits that accompany ADHD, stroke, and aging.Studies have shown that Cogmed results in increased concentration, improved impulse control, and stronger complex reasoning skills. In the end, better academic performance can be achieved especially in math and reading.
The program has been designed for use with all ages, from preschool to seniors. Its done in the home, with 30 to 45 minute sessions 3-4 times a week for 25 training sessions total. 80% of users show measureable improvement in working memory, concentration, problems solving, and reading comprehension.
Working memory difficulties can interfere at every stage of life:
A mom tells her son: “Go to your room, get your backpack and your jacket. Oh… and don’t forget your hat!” Her son has to keep these four bits (room, backpack, jacket, and hat) in his memory and then act on them to follow directions to complete the task. What is happening if he comes back with only one or two of the items she mentioned, or if he gets to his room and gets distracted and starts playing with legos.
It would be easy to think that he wasn’t listening or that he didn’t want to comply. But what if he had a significant working memory problem? What if he just could not remember what he was supposed to be doing.
A college student reads a difficult textbook. But by the time he gets to the end of the paragraph he has forgotten the beginning. The end doesn’t make sense without the beginning, so he has to reread the paragraph.
What is happening here? Does he have dyslexia? Or is it ADHD? Or is his working memory weak?
senior looks up a number in the phone book, but by the time he gets to the phone, he has forgotten the number. Many might worry that he has Alzheimer’s. But it could be that he has developed some working memory deficits with aging.