Much has been discovered about working memory and how problems with it can affect how we function and how we learn. Working memory problems occur in a range of populations including those afflicted with attention deficit and/or hyperactivity disorders, people with learning disabilities, and victims of stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Torkel Klingberg, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, conducted groundbreaking research in 2001 that showed working memory can be trained through focused exercises. Based on this research, Klingberg designed Cogmed Working Memory Training, an educational software program. Funding for the initial research came from the Swedish Research Council.
The software is the first program to exclusively target working memory.
Cogmed Working Memory Training is an engaging and challenging software program that increases the user’s working memory capacity. Participants engage in specific memory exercises for about 30 minutes every day for five weeks. The exercises are designed to train both visuo-spatial and verbal working memory. With each click of the mouse, the level of difficulty adjusts based on the real-time performance of the participant.
By improving attention and problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, Cogmed Working Memory Training helps people with problems with working memory manage their daily lives.
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