---
title: "Computerized Cognitive Training | Abnormal Psychology"
description: "Computerized cognitive training uses software-based exercises to strengthen attention, memory, and problem-solving in Abnormal Psychology treatment and rehab."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/abnormal-psychology/key-terms/computerized-cognitive-training"
type: "key-term"
subject: "Abnormal Psychology"
unit: "Unit 19"
---

# Computerized Cognitive Training | Abnormal Psychology

## Definition

Computerized cognitive training is software-based practice designed to improve mental skills like attention, memory, and processing speed in Abnormal Psychology. It is often used alongside treatment for ADHD, depression, dementia, or cognitive decline.

## What It Is

Computerized cognitive training is the use of digital exercises, apps, or computer programs to practice specific mental skills in Abnormal Psychology, especially attention, working memory, processing speed, and problem-solving. Instead of talking therapy, you are doing repeated tasks on a screen that push a weak cognitive skill a little harder each time.

These programs usually work like structured drills or games. You might remember number sequences, sort shapes quickly, ignore distracting images, or switch between tasks. The point is not just to stay busy. The point is to give the brain repeated practice in the exact mental process that is struggling.

In this subject, the term shows up as a treatment support, not a stand-alone cure. People with ADHD may use it to practice attention control, and older adults or people with cognitive impairment may use it to support memory and speed. It can also appear in treatment plans for depression when thinking speed and concentration are affected.

A big reason this term matters is that the gains can be narrow. Someone may get better at the trained task, like recalling sequences or focusing on a target, without automatically getting better at everyday life skills like following a lecture or remembering groceries. That gap between practice effects and real-world transfer is one of the main things researchers look at.

Many programs include gamification, like points, levels, or streaks, because people stick with training more easily when it feels interactive. That matters in Abnormal Psychology because adherence affects whether the intervention has any chance of helping. If someone stops using the program, the cognitive practice never really accumulates.

The best way to think about computerized cognitive training is as targeted mental exercise. It may support treatment, but it usually works best when it is matched to the person, paired with other interventions, and evaluated by whether it actually improves functioning, not just scores inside the app.

## Why It Matters

Computerized cognitive training shows up in Abnormal Psychology because it connects diagnosis, treatment, and cognitive functioning. If a case mentions ADHD, dementia, depression, or another condition with attention or memory problems, this term helps you explain why a clinician might choose a skills-based digital tool instead of, or alongside, medication and therapy.

It also gives you a way to think about treatment outcomes more carefully. A person might improve on a training task and still struggle in daily life, so the term pushes you to ask whether the intervention produced transfer. That distinction shows up in research questions, class discussions about effectiveness, and essay prompts about evidence-based treatment.

This concept also fits the technology and mental health unit because it sits at the intersection of software, behavior change, and symptom management. You can connect it to why gamified apps feel motivating, why adherence matters, and why not every promising tech tool has strong real-world benefits yet.

When you see a vignette about an older adult using a memory app, or a person with ADHD doing attention drills on a tablet, this is the term that explains the mechanism. It is less about general wellness and more about targeted cognitive practice for a specific mental health or neurocognitive need.

## Connections

### [Neuroplasticity](/abnormal-psychology/key-terms/neuroplasticity)

Computerized cognitive training is built on the idea that the brain can change with repeated practice. Neuroplasticity is the broader concept behind that change, while training is one way to try to trigger it. In class, you can use this connection to explain why repeated exercises might improve a skill over time.

### Gamification

Many training programs use points, levels, streaks, or rewards to keep people engaged. That is gamification, and it matters because people are more likely to keep practicing if the task feels interactive. The game-like design does not guarantee better treatment, but it can improve adherence.

### [Cognitive Deficits](/abnormal-psychology/key-terms/cognitive-deficits)

This term is often used when a disorder affects attention, memory, or processing speed. Computerized cognitive training targets those deficits directly, so the two terms often appear together in case examples or treatment discussions. It is a useful pairing when you need to explain what kind of symptom the intervention is meant to address.

### Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT is a talk therapy that changes thoughts and behaviors, while computerized cognitive training is a practice-based digital intervention for mental skills. They can appear together in treatment plans, but they do different jobs. One changes patterns of thinking and behavior, the other trains specific cognitive tasks.

## On the AP Exam

A quiz item or case study may describe a person using an app to practice memory, attention, or processing speed, and you would identify that as computerized cognitive training. If the question asks whether the person got better on the app but not in daily life, you would mention limited transfer. In a short answer or essay, you may also compare it with CBT or explain why gamified design might improve adherence. When a scenario involves ADHD, depression, dementia, or age-related cognitive decline, this term often signals a treatment aimed at specific cognitive skills rather than general insight or emotional processing.

## Key Takeaways

- Computerized cognitive training is digital practice for specific thinking skills, especially memory, attention, and processing speed.
- It shows up in Abnormal Psychology as a treatment support for conditions that involve cognitive problems, not as a stand-alone cure.
- A person may improve on the trained task without getting the same benefit in everyday life, so transfer matters.
- Gamified features can make people more likely to keep using the program, which affects how well it works.
- The term is most useful when you are explaining treatment choices, cognitive symptoms, or research on whether tech-based interventions actually help.

## FAQs

### What is computerized cognitive training in Abnormal Psychology?

It is a software-based intervention that gives repeated practice on mental skills like attention, memory, and processing speed. In Abnormal Psychology, it is often discussed as a support for ADHD, depression, dementia, or cognitive decline.

### Does computerized cognitive training really work?

It can improve the specific skill being practiced, like working memory or reaction speed. The bigger question is transfer, meaning whether those gains show up in daily tasks, and that effect is more mixed.

### How is computerized cognitive training different from CBT?

CBT changes thoughts and behaviors through guided psychological techniques, while computerized cognitive training uses repeated digital exercises to train a mental skill. They can both be part of treatment, but they target different problems.

### Why do these programs use games or points?

That is gamification, and it helps keep people engaged long enough to practice consistently. In this area of Abnormal Psychology, staying with the program matters because the benefits depend on repeated use.

## Related Study Guides

- [19.2 Technology and Mental Health](/abnormal-psychology/unit-19/technology-mental-health/study-guide/oW6NpNLqWEE3mW6T)

## About This Document

Canonical Fiveable pages are available as Markdown at the same path plus `.md`.

- [llms.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms.txt): index of Fiveable's sections and URL patterns
- [llms-full.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms-full.txt): complete subject and unit listing
- [MCP server](https://fiveable.me/mcp): call Fiveable as tools instead of fetching pages (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp`)
- [MCP server for AP teachers](https://fiveable.me/mcp/teachers): a teacher's classes, assignments and AP-rubric grading (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp/teacher`)

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