Cognitive Training: How Evidence, Controversies, and Challenges Inform Education Policy

Both scientists and the general public want to know whether basic cognitive abilities can improve with dedicated behavioral training. This would have many practical implications, including possible increases in academic achievement. The current brief review of behavioral approaches to cognitive enhancement focuses on the cognitive abilities most predictive of academic success: fluid intelligence, working memory, executive functions, spatial thinking, and visual attention. Researchers are currently testing a range of possible approaches to enhancing these cognitive skills. These include everything from having people repeatedly practice the same types of psychology tests that are used to measure the cognitive abilities, to developing custom cognitive training platforms, to the use of commercial entertainment video games. Existing data warrant guarded optimism, but more research is needed to justify widespread adoption. Policymakers can help (e.g., by promoting best-practice science), and researchers need to consider ethical issues as the field progresses.