Cogmed Training Does Not Generalize to Real-World Benefits for Adult Hearing Aid Users: Results of a Blinded, Active-Controlled Randomized Trial.
Helen Henshaw, Antje Heinrich, Ashana Tittle and 1 others
PMID 34524150WHAT IT FOUND
Five weeks of Cogmed working memory training did not improve speech-in-noise perception or everyday hearing for adults with hearing loss.
Participants got better at the specific training tasks, but this did not transfer to real-world listening benefits.
Key findings
01The primary outcome, an untrained working memory task, showed no significant difference between the training group and the active control group.
02While self-reported hearing difficulties improved slightly in the training group, the authors state this change was too small to be clinically important.
03Improvements seen in trained tasks were likely due to learning specific strategies rather than a genuine increase in working memory capacity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The training program used was commercially rigid, preventing adjustments to target specific mechanisms of benefit. Participants in the experimental group spent more time on task than controls, though this was controlled for in analysis. Some outcome measures used in the study had poor test-retest reliability, making those specific results less trustworthy. The study included a high level of support and monitoring, so results may not reflect self-directed home use.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant improvement in the Backward Digit Span task as evidence that Cogmed training improves general working memory capacity. This task was trained within the program, and the improvement likely reflects strategy learning rather than a fundamental cognitive change that would help with everyday listening.