We are joined by Susanne M. Jaeggi, Ph.D discusses how working memory is an essential system that underlies the performance of virtually all complex cognitive activities. People differ in terms of how much information they can hold in working memory, and also, how easily they can hold that information in the face of distraction. These individual differences are related to the fact that the functioning of the working memory system is highly predictive of scholastic achievement and educational success, and in general, working memory capacity is crucial for our general ability to acquire knowledge and learn new skills. Given the relevance of working memory to daily life and educational settings, the mission of my research program lies in the development of working memory interventions with the aim that that participants not only improve their working memory skills, but also general skills that go beyond the trained domain. By means of behavioral and neuroimaging methods, I seek to understand the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms that drive training-related changes.Besides research on training and transfer, my lab also investigates individual differences in working memory capacity and executive control, as well as the nature of working memory limitations across the lifespan.https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-brain-training-actually-work/"To overcome these limitations, our team is currently leveraging the power of citizen science. Similar to a large-scale study in the United Kingdom (Brain Test Britain, promoted by Cambridge University and the BBC), we are seeking to recruit thousands of participants to help us uncover the potential merits of memory training. But unlike Brain Test Britain’s simple question of whether brain training works, we are looking to engage the U.S. population in a new challenge to test why and for whom brain training works, and under which conditions.To accomplish our goal, we have launched a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health that aims to recruit 30,000 volunteers to participate in a memory training study that compares multiple approaches to train working memory. The study will use a common set of assessment measures to evaluate potential training gains, and it will focus on individual differences. Anyone older than 18 can join our study and help generate the data required to change the debate and move forward with a new paradigm of precision brain training. If you might be interested in joining our trial, go to the registration site at the University of California, Riverside"https://braingamecenter.ucr.edu/train-my-memory/Susanne M. Jaeggi, Ph.D.Principal Investigatorsmjaeggi@uci.edu949-824-5896Susanne Jaeggi  (read: /ˈyakee/) grew up in a tiny village 5,407 ft above sea level in the mountains of Switzerland. She found her way down to Bern, where she completed her Ph.D.s in Psychology and Neuroscience. She later moved to Ann Arbor to expand her horizon as a Post-Doc at the University of Michigan, before joining the Department of Psychology and the Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) at the University of Maryland as an Assistant Professor.  She is now a Professor at the UCI School of Education where she directs the Working Memory and Plasticity Laboratory. She also has a courtesy appointment in the Department of Cognitive Sciences, and is a Fellow at the UCI Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. As a Cognitive Neuroscientist and Experimental PsSupport the show