Investigating Learning Trajectories on Digital Attention Training Tasks in Primary School Children

Abstract Attention training programs have demonstrated potential for improving select cognitive skills and behaviors in children, but reported benefits are inconsistent. It is unclear whether variability in training benefits can be attributed to differences in children’s learning trajectories on training tasks over the intervention period. This study examined the functional form of learning trajectories on adaptive attention training tasks in primary school children, and potential associations between these learning trajectories and (a) pre-training child characteristics (general cognitive ability, hyperactivity, inattention, age) and (b) outcomes on untrained tasks from pre- to post-training (attention, hyperactivity, inattention). A total of 38 children (5–9 years) completed a 5-week attention training program in class. The training sessions involved four tasks targeting selective attention, sustained attention, inhibition, or interference control. Assessments were conducted pre- and immediately post-training. Based on non-linear mixed-effects models, the learning trajectories were best described by asymptotic regression, where the largest rate of improvement occurred initially, followed by gradual flattening out as task difficulty approached the asymptote. For the sustained attention training task, lower asymptotes predicted larger reductions in hyperactive behaviour from pre- to post-training. For the sustained and selective attention training tasks, age was associated with the asymptotes of the learning trajectories. Collectively, these findings suggest that learning trajectories on certain attention training tasks are associated with select child characteristics and training outcomes. It is of interest for future cognitive training studies to examine the learning trajectories of tasks targeting different skills to contribute understanding of the processes associated with cognitive training outcomes.