what is the main focus in the Training the article developing brain: a neurocognitive perspective
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focus on (neuroscientific) training studies in the domain of cognitive control and working memory. In adults, these functions are associated with activation in a common set of regions in prefrontal and parietal cortex
how are training effects influenced by the current stage of development?
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Training effects differ by developmental stage. In children, training can shape neural network formation, while in adults it modifies existing structures. Immature brains may limit performance gains, but higher plasticity in youth can enhance learning. Sensitive periods driven by experience, not just age, also influence training effectiveness.
Do training effects reflect long-lasting changes of brain structure or flexibility of brain function?
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Training effects can reflect both, but not always structural change. Improvements often stem from functional flexibility within existing brain structures. Long-lasting structural changes occur only when training demands exceed current capacities, creating a mismatch. This requires sufficient training duration, manageable difficulty, and depends on individual plasticity limits.
How does training influence developmental trajectories?
paper
Training can either speed up normal development or change it in a different way. It uses different brain processes than typical growth and can lead to changes like more or less gray matter. While speeding up development might have some downsides, training in childhood usually has more benefits than risks
How does brain activation change after cognitive training?
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Training can increase, decrease, or shift brain activation depending on task demands and strategies used. Reduced activation often reflects greater efficiency, while increased or shifted activation may result from new strategies or higher task load. Changes vary by age, capacity, and whether training adapts to the individual’s ability.
How does cognitive training affect functional connectivity in the brain?
paper
Training can change how brain regions interact, both during tasks and at rest. For example, training may increase connectivity in task-relevant networks (like the frontoparietal network) and decrease it in task-negative networks (like the default mode network), reflecting more efficient or focused processing.
How does cognitive training affect brain structure?
paper
Training can lead to structural changes like alterations in gray and white matter, synapses, myelination, and neurotransmitter systems. Some neuroimaging studies show overlaps between brain areas activated during training and structural changes, but causality remains unclear and more research is needed to understand how functional and structural changes interact.
How does cognitive training affect the developing brain in children?
Training can speed up brain development, making children’s brain activation patterns more adult-like, but effects depend on the child’s developmental stage. Children may process learned tasks differently than adults. Training also benefits children with developmental disabilities by improving brain function and performance, but long-term effects need more research.
What are key considerations and future directions for cognitive training research?
Future studies need to better understand brain imaging results and control for outside factors. People’s genetics, brain development, and environment affect how well they learn. Training helps more for kids with less stimulation or education. Also, training works better on skills we don’t use every day and might harm if it replaces more useful activities.
according to research which one is a stronger predictor for academic succes: IQ or Working Memory?
Working memory
describe the relationship between working memory and long term memory.
name a couple working memory tests and tell which component it measures.
corsi block-tapping task:
* visuospatial working memory
digit span:
* involves manipulation especially backwards.
letter number sequencing (spoken)
* combines autidtory working memory with mental sorting
describe the N-back task. Which components of WM does it measure
Participants are presented with a sequence of stimuli (usually letters, numbers, or spatial locations) and are required to indicate when the current stimulus matches the one from N steps earlier in the sequence.
* 1-back: Compare current stimulus to the one just before it.
* 2-back: Compare to the one presented two trials ago.
* 3-back: Compare to the one presented three trials ago, and so on.
✅ Example (2-back): Stimuli: A – C – A – D You must respond “match” when the current letter (the second A) matches the one presented two trials earlier.
taps in to: storage, attentional control and manipulation
Does research show it is easier to recall homphone or non-homphone words? why? why does this effect occure even when the words are only visually presented?
non-homophones. due to the phonological confusability effect=refers to the phenomenon where items that sound similar are more difficult to remember and are more likely to be confused with each other in short-term or working memory tasks.
because we transform these visual words to verbal in our mind.
research shows that from which age the phonological confusability effect accures?
age 5
what where the results while testing the following hypotheses? what do these results implicate?
what is an alternative explenation than underdeveloped phonological rehearsal for the discripency in results between older and younger children in the visual confusability effect test?
what where the results of the underlying test?
which brain region is believed to be associated with higher accuracy during manipulation tasks?
- Is working memory trainable according to research?
- Is there a difference between children, adolescents and adults?
- what could these results imply regarding the debate if younger brains perform less due to immature brain development or due to cognitife flexibility (strategy use)
studies suggests training might lead to more efficient strategy use among adolescents.
studies also show more activation of the DLPFC in the right and left side. Suggests more efficient brain activation.
no signficant difference found between groups.
what is up for discussion regarding the results of trainable working memory?
although studies show that WM can be trained. other studies suggest that the strategies learned are short term and do not generalize.
describe the span-board task
* design
* EF tested
Span-Board Task (Corsi Block-Tapping Task)
Participants watch as blocks on a board are tapped in a sequence, then must repeat the sequence in order.
→ Assesses visuospatial working memory (holding and reproducing spatial information).
describe the picture span task
Participants see a sequence of pictures of objects and must recall the order they appeared in.
→ Measures visual working memory with symbolic content (non-verbal memory span).
describe the digit span task
Participants hear a sequence of numbers and must repeat them in the same (or reversed) order.
→ Tests verbal working memory and attention span, with backward span engaging executive control.
