Working memory capacity training and the effect on reading comprehension, numerical reasoning, and vocational progress

An individual’s working memory capacity determines their ability to control attention and discard irrelevant and interfering information in large environments. It also plays an important part in information processing of goal-relevant tasks. It is important to study the ways in which learners can augment the capacity of an important cognitive construct and investigate the potential benefits to improving attention, reasoning, and comprehension. In educational settings, students actively seek help from assistance programs that target academic performance. However, it is often the case that this assistance comes in the form of a targeted specific skill that is focused on a particular academic area. If academic assistance focused rather on overall cognitive ability then there is the potential for a transferring of newly acquired skill to academic achievement scores rather than a specific academic area. Cognitive training in the form of working memory training has shown significant evidence to provide this academic assistance. This single case study used an ABA design to investigate whether working memory training improves performance of adult learners in reading comprehension, numerical reasoning, and vocational progress. The sample was comprised of adults (N = 10) within a job core training center who received five weeks of working memory training. The study provided evidence for positive change in measured scores of reading comprehension and numerical reasoning