How to Improve Working Memory
By Rachel Moore, MD, Certified Dyslexia Practitioner
January 2021
Did this title catch your eye? Perhaps you are the parent of a child with learning or attention issues or you have these issues yourself. Working memory evaluation is often part of the battery of tests that kids go through when they are evaluated for learning differences. When you hear, “Your child has a weakness in the area of working memory,” you might be wondering what to do to get your child back on track.
It can be easy to get caught up in a test result that seems to explain everything. But we should be cautious. Brains are complicated…and humans are complicated. And complex problems rarely have a single, simple solution. It’s also important to recognize that the purpose of a good psychoeducational evaluation should not be to “figure out what’s wrong” with your child so much as it should be to figure out how the educational context they are in is failing to meet their needs. Let’s start by getting our facts straight.
What exactly is “working memory”? Well, while you are reading this sentence, you need to use your working memory so that you can keep track of how it began, where it is in the context of this paragraph and how it will end. Working memory is how we hold a new phone number or someone’s name in our heads until we can get it written down. It is how we recall what we were doing if we got momentarily distracted. The concept of working memory was first introduced to the field of psychology in the 1960’s (Miller et al., 1960) and our ideas about how it functions and how best to test it have evolved significantly since then. It is different from “long term memory”, that is, the ability to remember well-learned information over longer periods of time (the names of your friends, a cool fact you discovered in science class). It is very similar to, though not exactly the same as the term, “short term memory”.
You can imagine how if you don’t have a lot of capacity or “space” in your working memory, it might impact your ability to read and comprehend a longer sentence, or follow a list of verbal instructions or keep track of a math problem in your head. That, in turn, might make it harder to succeed in the typical school environment.
What does a low working memory score mean? Well, first of all, it’s important to not overemphasize one individual score in any testing scenario. Context is everything. But, in a child who is generally having difficulty in school, a low working memory score is not unusual. Some research has suggested that lower- than-average working memory is related to difficulties in reading and math skills (Gupta and Sharma, 2017). Further, there are different types of working memory that can now be tested – visuospatial memory and phonological loop working memory to name just two. Different working memory profiles are more likely to be associated with specific learning differences (Gupta and Sharma, 2017). It’s important to notice, however, that working memory is only one of a number of “executive function” skills that kids need to do well in school and that other skills such as planning are critical to school success (Partanen, 2016).
Can working memory be improved? Probably. Some parents have turned to computer-based software that uses a game-like format to help students develop working memory skill. The idea is that an increase in working memory will lead to a brain that is better able to learn. The data on how successful this is are mixed at best (Melby-Lervag et al., 2016 and Titz and Karbach, 2014). Interestingly, when adult mentors were added to computer-based working memory improvement software and kids were guided to reflect on and generalize their own learning, they made clearer and longer-lasting gains in working memory (Partanen, 2015). At LRS, we would say those researchers discovered the importance of a good teacher! Think about that - kids who learned about and reflected on their learning showed improvement in working memory. Unfortunately, this same study showed no improvement in actual real-life skills like reading and math. So, working memory “exercises” have a long way to go before they can be strongly recommended for kids with low working memory scores. Still, this kind of finding gives us encouragement that our focus on a strong teacher-student relationship where students are encouraged to learn how to learn is indeed the right one and that it may be especially beneficial when a child has difficulty with working memory. More research is definitely needed in this area and we will be watching closely as the evidence accumulates.
So what should I do in response to an assessment that shows my child has a “weak” working memory?
Rather than view these results as a picture of what is “wrong” with your child’s learning and what needs to be “improved” about him/her, think about them as instructions to the educational system about how it must meet this student’s learning needs. And then, if your child is not getting what they need, find a way to get it for them.
You should:
Remember it is just one test and not at all an indicator of lifelong success or failure.
Remember that brains change over time and that what you have is a snapshot of now.
Remember that ALL learners have strengths and weaknesses including all the kids who did not come in for testing.
It is the job of our educational system to teach all kids. Sometimes, it doesn’t live up to its mission despite good intentions. If that is happening for your child then it falls to YOU to make sure they get the education they deserve. Do not settle for anything less.
Use the test results you have as one tool to help guide you to a better understanding of your child’s learning needs.
Prioritize educational strategies that help your child learn how to learn. This will serve them better than any gimmick you could ever employ.
Seek out good teachers who will mentor and understand your child. Nurture these relationships. A good teacher will teach students how to learn.
Good luck to parents everywhere!
Sources:
Gupta, Pradeep & Sharma, Vibha. (2017). Working Memory and Learning Disabilities: A Review. The International Journal of Indian Psychology. 4. 111-121. 10.25215/0404.013.
Melby-Lervåg M, Redick TS, Hulme C. Working Memory Training Does Not Improve Performance on Measures of Intelligence or Other Measures of "Far Transfer": Evidence From a Meta-Analytic Review. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2016 Jul;11(4):512-34. doi: 10.1177/1745691616635612. PMID: 27474138; PMCID: PMC4968033.
Partanen, P., Jansson, B., Lisspers, J., & Sundin, Ö. (2015). Metacognitive Strategy Training Adds to the Effects of Working Memory Training in Children with Special Educational Needs. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 7(3), p130.
Partanen, P. (2016). Assessment and Remediation for Children with Special Educational Needs: The role of working memory, complex executive function and metacognitive strategy training (Doctoral dissertation, MIttuniversitetet).
Titz C, Karbach J. Working memory and executive functions: effects of training on academic achievement. Psychol Res. 2014 Nov;78(6):852-68. doi: 10.1007/s00426-013-0537-1. Epub 2014 Jan 4. PMID: 24389706.
