Besides WM capacity, which cognitive ability improved after training according to the study?

• A. Neuromuscular coordination
• B. Reasoning abilities
• C. Vocabulary size
• D. Emotional regulation

Answer: (B)

The study looks at how training one aspect of cognition can spill over into others. When you practice working memory tasks, you’re repeatedly holding and juggling information, which strengthens executive-control processes like updating, monitoring, and inhibiting distractions. Those same skills are what you rely on in reasoning tasks—identifying patterns, testing hypotheses, and solving problems that require manipulating information. So, the training boosts reasoning abilities in addition to WM capacity because it exercises the mental control and flexibility that underlie good reasoning. The other options reflect different domains (motor skills, language knowledge, or emotion-related control) that aren’t typically enhanced by WM training in this context.