From the first day of memory training, all participants had an equal chance of success.
During three weeks of visuospatial memory training, the participants in this study showed a significant performance increase in auditory working memory compared to passive controls.
To improve memory during training, participants started at a level where recollecting the first presentation of a repeated word was relatively easy (i.e., only one intervening item between the 1st and 2nd presentation of a repeated word), and underwent an increase in lag interval length each time they reached a criterion level of accuracy [ 19, 20].
To that end, we have piloted a novel affective working memory training programme in healthy participants that involves repeated, titrated practice in applying executive control in emotional contexts (Schweizer, Hampshire, & Dalgleish, submitted for publication).
In the current study, we report the findings of a pilot study comparing the effect of memory training in two different groups of participants, one group with a minimum amount of concurrent cognitive stimulation while the other group receives continuous training on general cognitive skills.
5 An alternative explanation is that memory training acted as a placebo to the participants in the CRC group and enhanced their confidence in performing tasks.
Experiment 2 shows that helping behavior in the ZPG increased in participants who had received short-term compassion training, but not in participants who had received short-term memory training.
We hypothesize that without concurrent training, participants would benefit more from memory training when compared to those with concurrent training.
After all, in a study with adult participants, the transfer effects of working memory training on fluid intelligence could not be replicated.
