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Susan Boyle’s break-down and odd behavior during the final is not surprising. Like her, many people who struggle with learning disabilities can find it very hard to cope in difficult situations. Susan’s learning disability came about because she was deprived of oxygen at birth.
Scientific studies have found that even minor oxygen deprivation during birth can cause serious damage. People find it hard to stay focused on the big picture, remember important information, even keep track of what they need to do. Their language skills may be worse compared to their friends and they can struggle to keep up with conversations. Difficulty in processing and integrating information can cause someone to over react or explode over a well-meaning comment. As a psychologist, I receive lots of emails from adults, like Susan, who are frustrated and have even lost their jobs because they can’t remember things.
At the core of these difficulties is working memory. Working memory is our brain’s post-it note. We use those little yellow slips of paper not only to jot down important information, but also to work with it. Working memory has been found to be more important than IQ.
We use working memory in everyday situations, like staying focused during a meeting, solving a complex problem, responding to questions, even saying the right thing when we are distracted or feeling emotional. People with good working memory are able to make better decisions under stress and overcome frustration, and are less likely to be overwhelmed. As is clearly the case with Susan Boyle, working memory problems do not affect your ability to sing like an angel.
Imagine being in Susan’s position in front the whole world, and not having the ability to focus! What would you do? What would any of us do?
Can Susan improve her working memory to deal better with the stress of worldwide celebrity? Yes, she can. There is a lot of exciting evidence that shows that our brain can actually grow depending on what we do. The best way to grow our brain is through brain training.
Brain training has received a lot of interest lately and there is evidence that it works. One brain training program that I helped to develop to train working memory is JungleMemory(www.junglememory.com). In clinical trials, students go from a C to a B, or a B to an A in just 12 weeks! Just imagine what Susan can do with the right help. The sky’s the limit!
What’s the difference between having ADHD and poor working memory? Children with ADHD not only have trouble sitting still and are often acting out, teachers usually comment that their classroom performance is poor and they often forget vital information, such as instructions, the right books for their classes, where they need to be. Do they have poor working memory?
Yes. One of the most consistent findings in scientific studies is that children with ADHD have very poor working memory, particularly when they have to remember visual information, such as graphs or images. As part of a government-funded project that I lead, I found that children with ADHD were 4x more likely to have working memory problems compared to their peers without attention problems. This has serious impacts on their learning. As a result of their working memory problems, they will struggle in the classroom.
This doesn’t mean that all children with poor working memory have ADHD. In fact, as part of a different government-funded project, I found that children with poor working memory (that don’t have ADHD) are actually NOT impulsive or hyperactive. They aren’t disrupting the class, they aren’t bouncing off the walls. As a result, the teacher doesn’t notice there is a problem. At least not until it’s too late. Not until they start failing because they haven’t grasped key concepts in the lesson or can’t understand what to do and how to do it.
Ultimately, both students with ADHD and those with poor working memory need our help. Addressing their behavior won’t bring lasting change to learning. Supporting their working memory is the only way to help make sense of what goes on in the classroom. Find out more about testing and supporting working memory.
IQ is often thought to be synonymous with academic success. Indeed groups like MENSA perpetuate the idea that high IQ is a prerequisite for high achievement in school.
Yet, the traditional reliance on IQ as a benchmark for academic success is misguided. There are many students who have either high or average IQ who struggle in school. Instead of doing well, they end up in the lowest ability groups in language and math. In my own research on various government-funded projects, I have come across many students like this. This is very troubling. If their IQ is in the average range, why aren’t these students achieving their potential?
Perhaps there is something else at work that explains why some students succeed while others struggle.
I undertook a study to look into this issue. I tested children at five years old and again at eleven and found that a child’s success in school is down to how good its working memory is regardless of IQ score.
The finding that working memory, rather than IQ, is what we need to look out for has important implications for schools. As opposed to IQ, working memory problems can be easily addressed by teachers so students can still achieve their potential.
It is vital that IQ is not taken as the be all and end all to intelligence. I believe that all children could fulfill their potential, regardless of IQ or background, as long as working memory is assessed and problems addressed. The key is to move away from IQ as the main predictor of success and focus on working memory instead.
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