The article "Is Working Memory Training Effective? A Meta-Analytic Review" by Monica Melby-Lervåg and Charles Hulme examines the effectiveness of working memory training programs in both clinical and typically developing populations. The authors conducted a systematic meta-analysis of 23 studies that met their inclusion criteria, which included randomized controlled trials or quasi-experiments with a treatment group and a control group. The studies involved clinical samples and typically developing children and adults. The meta-analyses revealed that working memory training programs produced reliable short-term improvements in working memory skills, particularly in visuospatial tasks. However, these near-transfer effects were not sustained at follow-up for verbal working memory. There was no convincing evidence of generalization of working memory training to other skills, such as nonverbal and verbal ability, inhibitory processes in attention, word decoding, and arithmetic. The authors concluded that while working memory training programs show short-term, specific training effects, there is no evidence of generalization to other cognitive domains. They noted potential limitations, including age differences in the samples and the variety of clinical conditions included. The findings cast doubt on the clinical relevance and utility of working memory training programs for enhancing cognitive functioning in typically developing children and healthy adults.The article "Is Working Memory Training Effective? A Meta-Analytic Review" by Monica Melby-Lervåg and Charles Hulme examines the effectiveness of working memory training programs in both clinical and typically developing populations. The authors conducted a systematic meta-analysis of 23 studies that met their inclusion criteria, which included randomized controlled trials or quasi-experiments with a treatment group and a control group. The studies involved clinical samples and typically developing children and adults. The meta-analyses revealed that working memory training programs produced reliable short-term improvements in working memory skills, particularly in visuospatial tasks. However, these near-transfer effects were not sustained at follow-up for verbal working memory. There was no convincing evidence of generalization of working memory training to other skills, such as nonverbal and verbal ability, inhibitory processes in attention, word decoding, and arithmetic. The authors concluded that while working memory training programs show short-term, specific training effects, there is no evidence of generalization to other cognitive domains. They noted potential limitations, including age differences in the samples and the variety of clinical conditions included. The findings cast doubt on the clinical relevance and utility of working memory training programs for enhancing cognitive functioning in typically developing children and healthy adults.