Understanding Mediating and Moderating Factors that Determine Transfer of Working Memory Training

摘要 总体目标是了解在训练工作记忆(WM)系统的背景下，调节和调节学习迁移的因素。有越来越多的证据表明，工作记忆训练会影响在各种任务中的表现，然而，到目前为止，关于工作记忆系统中调节可塑性的潜在机制，以及训练的哪些组成部分会导致转移到不同的任务上，人们的知识极其有限。这一建议具有变革性，体现在它如何应用从其他大脑系统(如知觉学习，其中对影响迁移的机制有很大了解)中获得的可塑性知识来测试它们在工作记忆系统中的影响(目标1)，在创建评估向现实世界认知的迁移的新措施(目标2)方面，以及在使用在线“众包”研究来描述使用大量人群的个体差异方面(目标3)。这些研究尤其重要和及时，因为该领域的现状充满争议，而且对培训的相关属性缺乏了解，以及导致培训结果成功的个人差异因素。了解影响成功学习的因素，以及缓解这些因素的个体差异，对于解决当前的争议和走向培训和转移的理论模式至关重要。知识增长和翻译影响的潜力是巨大的。了解我们的记忆系统是如何工作的，以及指导学习的机制具有在社会上广泛应用的巨大潜力。我们在世界上获取知识密切依赖于WM过程，因此，WM的改进几乎可以造福于我们生活的方方面面。这推动了一个目前价值10亿美元的商业市场，提供了在科学界极具争议的早期培训方法。这项拟议的研究可以阐明调节和调节这些类型的认知干预的因素，并解决一些程序可能会在多大程度上导致现实世界认知的改善，而另一些程序可能不会。这可能会导致教育、康复和技术的进步。例如，WM缺陷存在于广泛的精神健康状况、疾病和脑损伤病例中，以及随着年龄的增长而出现的认知衰退，而促进WM系统更好运作的训练方法可以促进这些群体的健康和福祉。此外，这项研究可以阐明可能不起作用的方法，并帮助人们避免使用感染程序。拟议的培训软件将在跨平台游戏引擎上创建，以便向不同人群传播。从这个意义上说，研究成果具有创新性和广泛的影响，可以直接从拟议的研究中实现。许多人已经在使用“大脑训练”产品，然而，没有一个人采用理论驱动的方法来优化WM学习，目的是将这种训练转化为现实世界的好处，并对其进行系统研究，如本文所建议的那样。在拟议工作中创建的程序将公开提供。

SUMMARY The overall objective is to understand of the factors mediating and moderating transfer of learning in the context of training Working Memory (WM) systems. There is accumulating evidence that WM training impacts performance in a wide variety of tasks, however, to date, knowledge is extremely limited regarding the underlying mechanisms that mediate plasticity in WM systems, and what components of training give rise to transfer to different tasks. This proposal is transformative in how it applies knowledge derived from plasticity in other brain systems (such as perceptual learning, where there is substantial understanding of mechanisms that dtrive transfer) to test their impact in WM systems (Aim 1), in the creation of novel measures to asses transfer to real-world cognition (Aim 2), and in the use of online ‘crowd-sourced’ studies to characterize individual differences using a large population (Aim 3). These studies are particularly important and timely given current state of the field, which is fraught with controversy, and the lack of understanding of the relevant attributes of training and individual differences factors that give rise to successful training outcomes. Understanding the factors that mediate successful learning, as well as the individual differences moderating these is critical to resolve the current controversies and to move towards a theoretical model of training and transfer. Potential for knowledge gain and translational impact is substantial. Understanding how our memory systems work and the mechanisms that guide learning has great potential to be applied broadly in society. Our acquisition of knowledge in the world intimately relies on WM processes, thus, improvements in WM can benefit almost all aspects of our lives. This has driven a now billion-dollar commercial market that has provided early generation training approaches, which are extremely controversial in the scientific community. The proposed research can shed light on the factors that mediate and moderate these types of cognitive interventions and address the extent to which some procedures may, and others may not, lead to improvements in real world cognition. This can potentially lead to educational, rehabilitative, and technological advancements. For example, WM deficits exist in a wide range of mental health conditions, cases of disease and brain damage, and in cognitive declines with aging, and training approaches that promote better functioning WM systems can promote health and well-being in these groups. Further this research can elucidate approaches that may not work and help people avoid use of infective procedures. The proposed training software will be created on cross-platform game engines to enable dissemination to diverse populations. In this sense, the research output has innovative and broad impacts that can be directly realized from the proposed research. Many individuals are already using “brain training” products, however, none incorporate the theoretically-driven approaches designed to optimize WM learning with an aim to transfer that training to real world benefit, and that are systematically researched, as proposed here. Programs created in the proposed work will be made publically available.