Cognitive and Working Memory Training assembles an interdisciplinary group of distinguished authors--all experts in the field--who have been testing the efficacy of cognitive and working memory training using a combination of behavioral, neuroimaging, meta-analytic, and computational modelling methods. This edited volume is a defining resource on the practicality and utility of the field of cognitive training research in general, and working memory training in particular. Importantly, one focus of the book is on the notion of transfer--namely, the extent to which cognitive training--be it through music, video-game play, or working memory demanding interventions at school--generalizes to learning and performance measures that were decidedly not part of the training regimen. As most cognitive scientists (and perhaps many casual observers) recognize, the notions of cognitive training and transfer have been widely controversial for many reasons, including disagreement over the reliability of outcomes and consensus on methodological "best practices," and even the ecological validity of laboratory-based tests. This collection does not resolve these debates of course; but its contribution is to address them directly by creating an exchange in a single compendium among scientists who, in separate research publications, do not always reach the same conclusions. The book is organized around comprehensive overview chapters from different disciplinary perspectives--Cognitive Psychology (by Hicks and Engle), Neuroscience (by Kuchinsky and Haarmann), and Development (by Ling and Diamond)--that define major issues, terms, and themes in the field, with a pointed set of challenge questions to which other scientists respond in subsequent chapters. The goal of this volume is to educate. It is designed for students and researchers, and perhaps the armchair psychologist. Crucially, the contributors recognize that it is good for science to persistently confront our understanding of an area: Debate and alternative viewpoints, backed by theory, data, and inferences drawn from the evidence, is what advances scientific knowledge. This book probes established paradigms in cognitive training research, and the long-form of these chapters (not found in scientific journals) allows detailed exploration of the current state of the science. Such breadth intends to invite novel ways of thinking about the nature of cognitive and perceptual plasticity, which may enlighten either new efforts at training, new inferences about prior results, or both.

List of ContributorsPrologueMICHAEL F. BUNTING AND JARED M. NOVICKAcknowledgementsSECTION I COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE1 Cognitive Perspectives of Working Memory: Current Challenges in Working Memory TrainingKENNY HICKS AND RANDALL W. ENGLE2 Working Memory Training from an Individual Differences Perspective: Efficacy in Older AdultsERIKA BORELLA, BARBARA CARRETTI, CESARE CORNOLDI, AND ROSSANA DE BENI3 Training Working Memory for 100 Days: The COGITO StudyFLORIAN SCHMIEDEK, MARTIN L?VD?N, AND ULMAN LINDENBERGER4 How Strong is the Evidence for the Effectiveness of Working Memory TrainingCLAUDIA C. VON BASTIAN, SABRINA GUYE, AND CARLA DE SIMONISECTION II NEUROCOGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE5 Neuroscience Perspectives on Cognitive TrainingSTEFANIE E. KUCHINSKY AND HENK J. HAARMANN6 Working Memory Training and Transcranial Direct Current StimulationJACKY AU, SUSANNE M. JAEGGI, AND MARTIN BUSCHKUEHL7 Cognitive Training: Component Processes and Criteria for ChangeKRISTINE B. WALHOVD, ANDERS M. FJELL, AND LARS NYBERGSECTION III DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE8 Review of the Evidence on, and Fundamental Questions Surrounding Efforts to Improve Executive Functions, Including Working MemoryADELE DIAMOND AND DAPHNE S. LING9 Fundamental Questions Surrounding Efforts to Improve Cognitive Function Through Video Game TrainingADAM EICHENBAUM, DAPHNE BAVELIER, AND C. SHAWN GREEN10 Logical and Methodological Considerations in Cognitive Training ResearchBEN KATZ AND PRITI SHAH11 Music Training: Contributions to Executive FunctionBROOKE M. OKADA AND L. ROBERT SLEVC12 The Effectiveness of Training in Task Switching: New Insights and Open Issues from a Lifespan ViewJUTTA KRAY AND SANDRA D?RRENB?CHEREpilogueMICHAEL DOUGHERTY AND RANDALL W. ENGLEName IndexSubject Index