Can inhibition or shifting training enhance cognitive abilities in emerging adults?

Podlesek, Anja (author), Martinčević, Marina (author), Vranič, Andreja (author)

Executive functions enable and support most of our daily cognitive functioning. Within the number of executive functions proposed, updating, inhibition and shifting are most often considered as the three core executive functions. Cognitive training paradigms provide a platform for a possible enhancement of these functions. Since updating training has been studied to a greater extent, we wanted to investigate the effectiveness of inhibition and shifting training in this study. Emerging adults (psychology students) were randomly assigned either to the inhibition training (based on the Simon task; n = 36) or to the shifting training (based on the task switching paradigm; n = 35). Both groups underwent twelve 20-minute sessions distributed over four weeks. Measurements before and after the training included criterion tasks (i.e. the training tasks), near-transfer tasks (i.e. tasks that address the trained functions but use different types of stimuli or rules to respond), and far-transfer tasks (i.e., tasks that address untrained cognitive functions). The control participants (n = 36) were tested with a combination of these tasks. Both training groups improved their criteria task performance over time, while convincing training-related gains were not found in either near- or far-transfer tasks. This study raises some conceptual questions for the training of executive functions with respect to a sample of emerging adults with above-average cognitive abilities, motivational elements of training, and the role of executive functions in more complex everyday cognitive activities.

• Language: English
• Keywords: brain training, cognitive psychology, cognitive processes, cognitive ability, executive function, task switching, inhibition, emerging adulthood, The Simon task, The task switching paradigm
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication date: 01.01.2021
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 138-152
• Numbering: Letn. 30, posebna tema
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-136669
• UDC: 159.955
• ISSN on article: 2350-5141
• DOI: 10.20419/2021.30.529
• COBISS.SI-ID: 62514947
• Publication date in RUL: 13.05.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Psihološka obzorja. Znanstveno-strokovna psihološka revija Društva psihologov Slovenije
• Publisher: Društvo psihologov Slovenije
• ISSN: 2350-5141
• COBISS.SI-ID: 271603200

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 07.05.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Ali lahko vadba inhibicije ali preklapljanja izboljša kognitivne sposobnosti mladih na prehodu v odraslost?

Abstract

Izvršilne funkcije omogočajo in podpirajo večino našega vsakdanjega kognitivnega delovanja. Med številnimi izvršilnimi funkcijami raziskovalci najpogosteje kot tri najbolj osnovne opredeljujejo posodabljanje informacij, inhibicijo in preklapljanje. Paradigme kognitivnega treninga predstavljajo način njihovega izboljševanja. Učinkovitost treninga posodabljanja informacij je že precej raziskana, v pričujoči raziskavi pa smo želele preučiti učinkovitost treningov inhibicije in preklapljanja. Mlade na prehodu v odraslost (študente psihologije) smo naključno razdelile v skupino, ki je z izvajanjem Simonove naloge trenirala inhibicijo (n = 36), in skupino, ki je s paradigmo preklapljanja med nalogami trenirala preklapljanje (n = 35). Obe skupini sta skozi štiri tedne izvedli dvanajst 20-minutnih treningov. Predtestna in naknadna merjenja so poleg kriterijskih, tj. treniranih nalog vključevala še naloge bližnjega transfera (tj. naloge, ki vključujejo trenirano funkcijo, a uporabljajo drugačne vrste dražljajev ali pravil odzivanja) in naloge daljnega transfera (tj. naloge, ki vključujejo netrenirane kognitivne funkcije). Nekatere od nalog je reševala tudi kontrolna skupina (n = 36). Pri obeh skupinah s treningom se je v času izboljšala učinkovitost reševanja kriterijske naloge, pri nalogah bližnjega in daljnega transfera pa ni bilo opaziti prepričljivega izboljšanja, ki bi ga lahko pripisali izključno treningu. Raziskava je opozorila na konceptualne težave treniranja izvršilnih funkcij, vezane na vzorec mladih nadpovprečno kognitivno sposobnih odraslih, motivacijske elemente treninga in vlogo izvršilnih funkcij v zahtevnih vsakodnevnih aktivnostih.

• Keywords: kognitivni trening, kognitivna psihologija, kognitivni procesi, spoznavne sposobnosti, izvršilne funkcije, preklapljanje, inhibicija, prehod v odraslost