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18 - Enhancing Cognition

from Part V - Translating Research on the Neuroscience of Intelligence into Action

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2021

By
Michael I. Posner  and
Mary K. Rothbart
Edited by
Aron K. Barbey ,
Sherif Karama  and
Richard J. Haier
Aron K. Barbey
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Sherif Karama
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
Richard J. Haier
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine
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Summary

It is useful to consider three very general approaches to enhancing cognitive functions such as attention, memory, or problem solving (Tang & Posner, 2014). One is training a specific brain network by practice on a task that uses that network (Network Training). Attention and working memory have been two of the most widely used tasks for studying network training. Another approach to enhancement involves a change in brain state by use of physical exercise, meditation, drugs, or playing video games (Brain State). A third approach involves the use of external electrical or magnetic stimulation to activate or inhibit brain pathways (Brain Stimulation). Recently studies have examined these methods in combination (Daugherty et al., 2018; Ward et al., 2017). In this chapter we review examples of each approach designed to improve cognition, related criticisms, and opportunities for further research and application.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience , pp. 367 - 381
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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