INTRODUCTION

This working memory training app (also known as i-Maze) was developed by the founder, Dr Kean Poon and her research team in 2017. Working memory is one of the most important executive functioning skills – the ability to temporarily store, process, and retrieve information. Working memory is commonly referred to as the “mental workspace”, where storage time is temporary and capacity limited. By expanding this “workspace”, it allows for an individual to process more information simultaneously, resulting in increased efficiency.

 

Working memory, often closely related to other cognitive functions, displays evident individual differences. People with a relatively lower capacity of working memory will tend to perform less well at work and in school. For example, a student who has poor working memory will have observed difficulties such as the inability to process large amounts of information in class, difficulty in memorising sequences of work, lowered reading efficiency, and calculation speed (Gathercole et al., 2016; Holmes et al., 2010).

 

TARGET

Primary students with special educational needs from low-income families

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FEATURES

• A total of 50 game sessions, with n-back games every odd session and card-pairing games every even session. Each game session has 10 rounds.

• A rich story is packed into one game, called “Saving the world at the brink of destruction by industrial pollution”.

• Covers Chinese characters and vocabularies, each carefully chosen from textbooks used in grades one to five.

• Includes two key components, a) phonological working memory and b) visual-spatial working memory. The game is also designed to enhance students’ memory of vocabularies. In the more advanced sections of the game, rhymes and morphemes are also used to encourage students to identify words using phonemic and semantic cues.

• Has a dynamic difficulty adjustment according to the performance of the user, which is designed to maximize stimulation of brain activity.

• Training data will be recorded in the backend system, including the game session, type of game, accuracy rate, and reaction time.

 

HOW TO PLAY?

• In the n-back game, children need to determine whether each item in the sequence matches the one presented n items ago. For example, in the 2-back task, children must identify the number preceding the target by two items.

• For the card-pairing task, they must find the matching pairs of cards by turning over two cards of their choice at a time.

• These two training regimes have been confirmed to be effective in improving working memory skills according to previous research (Li et al., 2020; Simmering, 2012).

 

EVIDENCE-BASED WORKING MEMORY TRAINING

In 2005, Klingberg and colleagues (2005) developed a working memory training task. They conducted a five-week training schedule to investigate its effectiveness on students. Results indicated that the training significantly improved students’ working memory capacity and behaviours. In a local pilot study, a total of 101 primary students took part in working memory training, with 28 participants in the ADHD group, 51 participants in the RD group, and 22 participants in the comorbid group. The preliminary findings revealed that the students with pure ADHD and pure RD showed significant improvements between pretest and posttest in reading fluency, phonological working memory, and visual-spatial working memory. The students with comorbid symptoms of ADHD and RD also revealed a significant improvement in visual-spatial working memory after a five-week period. Results of this pilot study have been disseminated to the public at the Conference on Diverse Learning Needs and EdUHK Award Winning Innovation Salon 2020.

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WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION

The i-maze was showcased at the 5th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN) in 2020 and was awarded a silver medal and a special award presented by Toronto International Society of Innovation and Advanced Skills.

 

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