Working Memory Interventions

Do the brain games give the benefit they are said to provide? (Word Count: 1528) Yagna Patel 1001588524 BIO152, 9/27/2014 Prof. F. Rawle TA: Christy Simbeya Rough Essay: I. Introduction: There is a widely held belief that commercially available computerized brain-training programs improve cognitive function. 2 Although society has accepted this correlation of “brain games” and increased cognitive ability, it has yet to be proven.1 Regardless of this, there has been a recent spawn of enterprises dedicated to creating these games. Of these enterprises, the most well-known companies are Lumosity and Brain Age.1 These companies even argue that brain training is as good as physical training.4 Websites like

Research has proven that physical activity improves cognitive function and can also improve brain function throughout a lifespan. Moreover, staying physically active has so many benefits as well. For example, doing exercise and fitness activities help build cells and natural pathways to help reduce changes in memory loss or dementia. Also, it has so many health benefits including long-term improvements to the cognitive function as the young adult reaching mid

Materials The participants will be given The Working Memory Test Battery for Children (WMTB-C) devised by Gathercole and Pickering (2001). This test consists of four tasks which include

to review the concept of working memory. Raven’s Matrices is been based on a correlational analysis of

Humans have been seeking many different ways to improve their cognitive ability for thousands of years. For example, education has been used in order to learn and improve on cognitive ability and to improve our understanding of the world (Bostrom and Sandberg, 2009). With the advance of technology, resources and medicine, humans have managed to develop cognitive enhancing drugs that improve our cognitive ability by improving the attention, motivation and working memory.

Annotated Bibliography Abikoff, Howard. "ADHD Psychosocial Treatments: Generalization Reconsidered." Journal Of Attention Disorders 13.3 (2009): 207-210. ERIC. Web. 6 Mar. 2016. Abikoff’s journal article addresses the issue of generalization of treatment and its effects across settings and over time. He explains how the overarching clinical objective of psychosocial interventions remains ambiguous. Despite

It is then presumed that assessment-based interventions are to be more effective as well as time efficient than trying strategies on a trial and error basis (DuPaul et al, 2011). It was determined that more research is needed in regards to the functioning of secondary students with ADHD.

Furthermore it is important to prevent sexual problems by paying attention to the emotional reactions, such as anger, shame, and guilt feelings. The issue of sexuality needs to be addressed during both the acute and long-term rehabilitation processes. Cognitive intervention may help to overcome these feelings and may minimize the risk of chronic

Annotated Bibliography on Concerta (Methylphenidate) Buitelaar, J. K., Trott, G., Hofecker, M., Waechter, S., Berwaerts, J., Dejonkheere, J., & Schäuble, B. (2011). Long-term efficacy and safety outcomes with OROS-MPH in adults with ADHD. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology Int. J. Neuropsychopharm., 15(01), 1-13. doi:10.1017/S1461145711001131. This study was conducted over a 52

Introduction As teachers, we often struggle to monitor students who are hyperactive. It is especially important that we take time to work with students who are diagnosed with, or show signs of, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD is characterized by persistent hyperactivity and restlessness. (Schweitzer, 2010)

In 2012, Nouchi et al. conducted a study in which older adults had to play either a Nintendo brain training game called Brain Age or Tetris. The participants had to play their assigned game for 4 weeks 15 minutes per day. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible effects of a brain training game on the cognitive functioning of older adults. As expected, the results showed that both groups performed significantly better at playing their game during the last time playing compared to the first time playing. However, did the participants only get better at playing their game or was there more at play?

Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BREIF2)

Hypothesis: People who are highly intelligent are more likely to have a more effective working memory. My Initial Hypothesis Initially, I believed that intelligence did not have an effect on working memory because of the many different ways the brain processes and retains various information. The way I thought of it was that

In recent years brain training games have become a topic of interest among both researchers and common people alike. Researchers are interested in the healing properties of brain training while normal people are looking to brain training as a way to improve their performance and get a leg up on the competition in school, work, and life. Up until recently, it was believed that the brain was unchangeable in terms of memory capacity. Researchers were well aware of the fact that the brain can change and form new connections when brain damage occurs. However, the idea that humans can train their brains to be more efficient and stronger seemed like a far-fetched cry from reality up until the late 1990’s (Weicker, Villringer & Thöne-Otto, 2016). As time went on and more research was conducted in the field of brain training, it became clear that brain training is not an exact science but, it does have real cognitive benefits.

The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.