Working Memory Training Improves Children’s Fluid Intelligence:The Role Of Inhibitory Control

Working memory plays an important role in human cognitive process.Previous studies have found that working memory training could improve children’s fluid intelligence.However,the underlying neurological mechanism remains unclear.Working memory training had a positive effect on inhibition ability,which in turn promoted the long-distance migration of working memory training.The researchers believed that working memory training promoted the improvement of universal mechanism in the field,which leaded to the improvement of other cognitive abilities.Three studies were conducted to examine the role of inhibition in the far transfer of working memory training.Study 1 explored the inhibiting ability of children with different intelligence levels.The results showed that in GO/NOGO task,the P200 amplitude of children with higher fluid intelligence was significantly lower than that of children with lower fluid intelligence,while in Stroop task,the P200 amplitude of children with higher fluid intelligence was not significantly different from that of children with lower fluid intelligence,which indicated that children with higher fluid intelligence had more response inhibiting ability.In study 2,the effects of working memory training on children’s inhibiting ability and fluid intelligence were studied by using working memory training task.A total of 45 children(aged from 9-11 years)were randomized into a WMT group(25)or a control group(20).All subjects were tested on the day before the training,the 10th day,15th day and 20th day of the training,control group did not participate in the training stage.All children were asked to be tested in the Standard Progressive Matrices Test.Event-related potentials were recorded during the stroop task and go/no go task.the study showed that,the children in the training group outperformed those in the nontraining group in terms of accuracy in the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices scores.The P200 amplitude of the training group decreased significantly in the go/nogo task.However,the P200 effect disappeared in the stroop task.The results demonstrated that working memory training improved fluid intelligence,which may be related to the improved response inhibition ability.Study 3 tested children’s fluid intelligence and response inhibition ability six months later.The results showed that the fluid intelligence of children in training group was significantly higher than that of control group,and the amplitude of P200 was significantly lower than that of control group.The results showed that the training effect of working memory is stable,and the training effect can be maintained for at least 6 months.Studies have shown that children with high fluid intelligence have stronger response inhibition ability.Through working memory training,children’s response inhibition ability was improved,the amplitude of P200 decreased,fluid intelligence was significantly improved,but the conflict inhibition ability was not improved.After six months of training,children’s fluid intelligence was still improved,the level of reaction inhibition was improved,and the amplitude of P200 was decreased,which indicated that the effect of working memory training was stable.