What consequence would you expect if someone practices a high-load Central Executive task repeatedly?

• A. No improvement; CE is fixed
• B. Improvements in CE efficiency and transfer to everyday tasks widely
• C. Possible improvements in CE efficiency and task switching, but transfer to everyday tasks may be limited
• D. Detrimental effects on long-term memory

Answer: (C)

The central idea is that the central executive can become more efficient with practice, especially for tasks that demand conscious control of attention and the ability to switch between tasks. Repeatedly training a high-load central-executive task strengthens those control processes, so you’re likely to see improvements in how efficiently you manage attention and in your ability to switch tasks more smoothly. However, these gains are usually strongest on tasks that resemble what you trained (near transfer) and don’t always extend broadly to everyday activities with different contexts and demands (far transfer). Detrimental effects on long-term memory are not a typical outcome of this kind of training. So, the best description is that you can get improvements in CE efficiency and task switching, but transfer to everyday tasks tends to be limited.