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Working Memory Workout

AGE: 4 years

RESEARCH AREAS: Memory and attention, executive function

THE EXPERIMENT

You’re going to conduct a few exercises that help measure your child’s ability to memorize.

You’ll conduct the first exercise, the Backward Order Task, on one day; the second exercise, the Six Squares Task, on the next day; and the third exercise, a repeat of the Backward Order Task, a couple of days later.

The Backward Order Task requires no supplies. For the Six Squares Task, you’ll need to gather six pieces of construction paper, each a different color, and cut each into a four-inch square. You’ll also need twenty-four small stickers that can be used as rewards. Each sticker should be small enough to be completely concealed under one of the squares.

In the Backward Order Task, you’ll recite the names of familiar objects, then ask your child to recite the names in reverse order. The first time you conduct the exercise, use the following sets of words and note how many sets your child correctly recites backward:

In the Six Squares Task, begin by laying out the six squares of construction paper on a table. Place one sticker under each of the six squares. Allow your child to select a square, then take the sticker under it and give it to him as a reward. Now have him turn away while you rearrange the squares, making sure that the stickers stay underneath their associated squares. Now you’ll repeat the process. Each time, your child should select a square. If there is a sticker under the square, give it to him as a reward. Continue the game until he has found all the stickers. To do this efficiently, he’ll need to keep a mental record of which color squares he has already checked, regardless of their position on the table. Repeat the Six Squares Task three times, and as you progress, try to extend the time you take to reorder the squares, to keep the task challenging.

Finally, a couple of days later, repeat the Backward Order Task with the following sets of words:

Again, make a note of how many sets your child correctly recites backward.

THE HYPOTHESIS

Your child will show improved performance on the Backward Order Task the second time around.

THE RESEARCH

Working memory is like a small mental scratch pad. It can’t hold much information, so our minds frequently erase some or all of the notes we’ve jotted down to make room for more. Still, that scratch pad can come in handy. For instance, you can use it to remember a phone number until you dial it, or to remember how to navigate to a store in the mall after looking up directions.

Researchers in a 2015 study explored whether children’s working memory could be strengthened by a short training program. They gave the children a version of the Backward Order Task prior to the training to establish a baseline, and then again after the training to determine whether the children improved on the task.

The children were split into two groups. The experiment group participated in the training program, which consisted of four weekly sessions. During each session, the children spent about twenty minutes on exercises designed to strengthen working memory, including a version of the Six Squares Task. The control group also had four weekly sessions, but children in this group engaged in tasks that did not involve working memory. Children in both groups were then tested a week after the sessions concluded, as well as three months later.

The results showed that children who participated in the training program did significantly better at the Backward Order Task than those in the control group, not only a week after the program concluded but also three months later. The researchers concluded, “This enduring effect in the current study is striking, given the relatively short training program involved.”

THE TAKEAWAY

If short training sessions can have such lasting effects, then it makes sense to try to keep the momentum going, doesn’t it? Fortunately, there are quite a few training exercises that you can try with your child to help him flex this part of his brain. One other exercise you might try is called the One-Back Task. During this task, you show your child a series of images, one at a time, and your child must give a signal, such as a thumbs-up, if the image matches the previous image shown. You can vary the difficulty of the task by adjusting the length of time each image is shown and the length of time between images. Keep track of your child’s accuracy, and if you notice improvement, that’s both a reason to cheer and a potential indicator of a long-lasting developmental gain.