Working Memory Training Does Not Improve Performance on Measures of Intelligence or Other Measures of "Far Transfer": Evidence From a Meta-Analytic Review
Melby-Lervag M, Redick TS, Hulme C · 2016
grade Bmeta-analysisindependentunreplicated
Sample
87 publications, 145 experimental comparisons
Population
Children and adults, typical and clinical samples
Design
The decisive methodological move is restricting far-transfer inference to comparisons against TREATED (active) control conditions, which strips out expectancy and contact effects. Also runs a mediation analysis linking size of WM gain to size of far transfer, and a publication-bias analysis.
Key findings
Reliable intermediate transfer to verbal and visuospatial working memory immediately after training. No convincing evidence of far transfer (non-verbal ability, verbal ability, word decoding, reading comprehension, arithmetic) against treated controls. Degree of improvement on the WM measures did NOT predict far transfer - the proposed mechanism does not operate. Publication-bias analysis indicates the treated-control studies have no evidential value.
Genetic confound
Low. Randomised contrasts with active controls.
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal and visuospatial working memory (intermediate transfer) | pooled effect | reliable immediate improvement | standardized | immediately post-training | active-alternative | end-of-treatment | near-transfer |
| Non-verbal ability, verbal ability, decoding, reading comprehension, arithmetic (far transfer) | pooled effect vs treated controls | no convincing evidence of any reliable improvement | standardized | post-training | active-alternative | end-of-treatment | far-transfer |
| WM gain as mediator of far transfer | mediation | not related - mechanism unsupported | standardized | post-training | active-alternative | end-of-treatment | far-transfer |
Cited by
- Does working-memory or brain training transfer to intelligence and achievement?no effectconf: highgc: low