Memory training improves intelligence in some children, report says

Los Angeles Times:

Training a child to hold a whole cluster of items in his or her memory for even a short time may feel like trying to hold a wave on the sand. But a study published Monday says it’s a drill that can yield lasting benefits.

Children who’ve had such training have better abstract reasoning and solve problems more creatively than kids who haven’t, the study found.

But here’s a warning to parents already grooming their young children for entry into elite universities: Don’t automatically rush out to enroll your young genius in brain-training summer camp or invest in DVDs promising to deliver high IQs. These drills, the scientists found, pay the greatest dividends for children who actually need them and who find the escalating challenge of the games fun, not frustrating.

For others, “it might be difficult if you push your kid too much,” said study lead author Susanne M. Jaeggi, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan. “It’s like a parent pushing a child to do sports or learn a musical instrument: There’s always this delicate balance between too much or too little.”

Read the whole story: Los Angeles Times