Extending brain-training to the affective domain: increasing cognitive and affective executive control through emotional working memory training.

ABSTRACT: So-called 'brain-training' programs are a huge commercial success. However, empirical evidence regarding their effectiveness and generalizability remains equivocal. This study investigated whether brain-training (working memory [WM] training) improves cognitive functions beyond the training task (transfer effects), especially regarding the control of emotional material since it constitutes much of the information we process daily. Forty-five participants received WM training using either emotional or neutral material, or an undemanding control task. WM training, regardless of training material, led to transfer gains on another WM task and in fluid intelligence. However, only brain-training with emotional material yielded transferable gains to improved control over affective information on

SUBMITTER: Schweizer S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3176229 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature