Far transfer to language and math of a short software-based gaming intervention

GOLDIN, ANDREA PAULA; HERMIDA, MARÍA JULIA; SHALOM, DIEGO E.; COSTA, MARTÍN ELIAS; LOPEZ-ROSENFELD, MATÍAS; SEGRETIN, MARÍA SOLEDAD; FERNÁNDEZ-SLEZAK, DIEGO; LIPINA, SEBASTIÁN J.; SIGMAN, MARIANO

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

NATL ACAD SCIENCES

Año: 2014 vol. 111 p. 6443 - 6448

0027-8424

Executive functions (EF) in children can be trained, but it remains unknown whether training-related benefits elicit far transfer to real-life situations. Here, we investigate whether a set of computerized games might yield near and far transfer on an experimental and an active control group of low-SES otherwise typically developing 6-y-olds in a 3-mo pretest-training-posttest design that was ecologically deployed (at school). The intervention elicits transfer to some (but not all) facets of executive function. These changes cascade to real-world measures of school performance. The intervention equalizes academic outcomes across children who regularly attend school and those who do not because of social and familiar circumstances.