A Short Executive Function Training Program Improves Preschoolers' Working Memory

Front Psychol. 2015 Nov 24:6:1827. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01827. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Cognitive training has been shown to improve executive functions (EFs) in middle childhood and adulthood. However, fewer studies have targeted the preschool years-a time when EFs undergo rapid development. The present study tested the effects of a short four session EF training program in 54 four-year-olds. The training group significantly improved their working memory from pre-training relative to an active control group. Notably, this effect extended to a task sharing few surface features with the trained tasks, and continued to be apparent 3 months later. In addition, the benefits of training extended to a measure of mathematical reasoning 3 months later, indicating that training EFs during the preschool years has the potential to convey benefits that are both long-lasting and wide-ranging.

Keywords: cognitive control; executive functions; mathematics; preschoolers; training; working memory.