EF training demands must keep increasing as children improve, or few gains will be seen¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2012 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? EF demands need to keep increasing as children's EFs improve, or few gains will be seen. → Diamond Adele 2012

Evidence¶

Diamond Adele 2012¶

Diamond Adele. (2012). Activities and Programs That Improve Children's Executive Functions. Current Directions in Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412453722

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review principle attributed to three training studies; the review offers two proposed reasons: people stop improving without pushing, and constant difficulty becomes boring, which the review says has been a criticism of Cogmed control conditions.

"EF demands need to keep increasing as children's EFs improve, or few gains will be seen (Bergman Nutley et al., 2011; Holmes et al., 2009; Klingberg et al., 2005)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• CogMed computerized working-memory training improves practiced working-memory skills with narrow transfer, and controls playing the same games without increasing difficulty show no gains — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Largest EF-training benefits emerge on the most demanding EF tasks and task conditions, so outcome measures must test the limits of children's EF abilities — related
• Whether EF gains are seen depends on the amount of time children spend doggedly practicing and pushing themselves to improve — related
• Sustained aerobic exercise improves children's EFs, with dose-response benefits for the most EF-demanding task and math in the high-dose group only — related
• In gamers' interview reports, sustained gaming engagement appeared closely related to controlling an optimal level of challenge: games too hard were often abandoned and games too easy lost their interest — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Computer-based training reliably improves children's working memory and reasoning, but computerized training has not succeeded in improving 4- to 6-year-olds' inhibitory control — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Computerized training of inhibition in young children shows limited success, and a randomized trial found narrow, skill-specific transfer of working-memory and reasoning training in 4-year-olds — related
• Reducing EF demands benefits struggling learners, whereas calibrated EF challenge is hypothesised to benefit beginning learners — related