Working Memory: An Overview
Working memory is the brain’s ‘post-it note’. It refers to our ability to remember and work with information. Scientific studies find that working memory is more important than IQ in determining success in the classroom.
Working memory difficulties are found in individuals with dyslexia. So the question is: if we improve working memory in those with dyslexia, can we expect to see improvements in learning indicators as well? The answer is Yes.
Dyslexia and Working Memory
A bigger working memory (or bigger ‘post-it-note’) means that you have a better ability to remember and work with information. Individuals with dyslexia have a smaller ‘post-it-note’ compared to their peers. This means they find it challenging to remember instructions, words, and other language-related activities. As a result, they can end up falling behind their peers in the classroom.
Training working memory
We wanted to know whether we could increase the size of the post-it-note with a brain training programme called Jungle Memory. Dyslexia Scotland made a major contribution in helping us find the answer.
Schools, parents, and students participated in a recent project run together with Dr. Tracy Alloway, Director of the Centre for Memory and Learning in the Lifespan at the University of Stirling. We now have the final results.
So what are the benefits of using Jungle Memory?
The results from the clinical trials are very exciting. This project found that students who used Jungle Memory 4x a week show significant improvements in many areas. For example, scores in tests of IQ and working memory improved dramatically at the end of the Training period. The improvements were so great that students who were lagging behind their peers in these scores have now caught up.
What is more, learning outcomes in tests of language and maths also improved! Teachers also noticed an improvement in the students’ performance. This finding is important as it shows that regular use of Jungle Memory makes a positive difference to grades as well.
Further details about the project
We employed clinical trials to evaluate the benefits of training working memory. This means that we included two different control groups to compare with the Jungle Memory training. One control group continued their schoolwork as usual, while another control group only used Jungle Memory 1x a week. All students were given the same standardised tests of IQ, working memory, and learning before and after training. The findings show that students with dyslexia who use Jungle Memory 4x a week show significant improvements compared to these other two control groups. The Figure below illustrates the improvement for the different groups.
Gains shown in standard scores of improvement after using Jungle Memory 4x a week (JM High). The higher the number, the greater the improvements in the Before and After Training test scores. 0=no difference in the Before and After Training test scores.
Quotes from parents
From Paula, mother of Coll, 9 years old Coll enjoyed Jungle memory - he is very good with image recognition so one of the games he played he was good at from the beginning. [In other games], he made steady improvement as the weeks went by. The amount of time required was minimal and this was good as Colls concentration is poor (he has ADD), especially after a full day in the classroom.
He has been attempting to read more challenging books since the study and I feel that this was a good opportunity for Coll to feel positive about his ability. I feel that a quick refresher from time to time would stimulate this optimism.
I have seen his teacher at school today, she informed me that there had been an improvement in Coll’s word recognition and spelling and that he had a score of 7.5 compared to [0] last year.
From Lucy, mother of Christine, 8 years old After using Jungle Memory for four weeks we all realised that he had more function and focus, his short-term memory was getting much better, his writing improved a lot, it became more tidy and clear, his class teacher is surprised with his fast progress in all areas (math, writing, attention, reading). For all these reasons I think that I am going to continue repeating this program every six months.
From Martha, mother of Alistair, 11 years old His class teacher found significant improvement in his concentration and work rate . . . . Another bonus was the fact that he was reasonably well motivated by it, and never refused to complete his tasks.
From Darren, father of Bethany,15 years old [Jungle Memory] has helped Bethany with her memory. She appears to be remembering certain spellings more easily now and she seems a more confident with her numbers as well.
Method Participants: Students were to one of three groups: Control (n=39), JungleMemory-LowUse (n=32); JungleMemory-RegularUse (n=23).
Materials IQ: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (verbal and nonverbal subtests) Working Memory: Automated Working Memory Assessment (Alloway, 2007) Learning outcomes: Spelling and math subtests from the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (Wechsler, 2005)
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Though social networking sites are relatively new, one of the most popular ones, Facebook, boasts of more than 300 million active users with an estimated six billion minutes spent on Facebook every day across the world. Studies on elderly populations have found that those who were more socially connected experienced less memory loss as they aged compared to more isolated peers. Would virtual social connectedness reveal a similar pattern? Can social networking improve students’ cognitive abilities? I discuss findings from two studies on the topic.
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