Improving Cognitive Control through Brain-Training
Author Information
Author(s): Schweizer Susanne, Hampshire Adam, Dalgleish Tim
Primary Institution: Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Hypothesis
Does brain-training with emotional material improve cognitive functions beyond the training task?
Conclusion
Brain-training with emotional material leads to improved control over affective information.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants who trained with emotional material showed significant improvements in cognitive control.
- Training on the dual n-back task improved both working memory and fluid intelligence.
- Only the affective training group showed transfer effects on the emotional Stroop task.
Takeaway
This study shows that training your brain with emotional tasks can help you better manage your feelings and thoughts.
Methodology
Participants underwent working memory training with either emotional or neutral material, followed by assessments of cognitive transfer effects.
Potential Biases
Potential pre-training differences in fluid intelligence may have influenced results.
Limitations
The sample size was modest, and the study used a high-functioning student sample, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
45 participants (28 female; M age = 25 years; range: 21–30 years).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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