Visual working memory training enhances simulated mine monitoring performance: the modulating role of memory growth potential

Abstract The transition to Industry 4.0 in mining has shifted operator roles from manual control to cognitive supervision, demanding heightened visual working memory (VWM) for monitoring complex data interfaces. This study examines whether adaptive VWM training improves performance in safety–critical monitoring tasks and whether individual differences in memory growth potential modulate this efficacy. Using a randomized controlled design with 59 participants, we employed a continuous metric of memory growth potential ΔK (K 6 –K 4 ) to represent latent cognitive plasticity. Results show that VWM training significantly enhanced VWM capacity, with the magnitude of gains being positively predicted by an individual’s initial memory growth potential. These training benefits selectively transferred to a simulated mine monitoring task; specifically, higher growth potential positively predicted greater behavioral improvements in both gas and equipment monitoring. By contrast, no transfer occurred on a near-transfer VWM precision task. These findings suggest that VWM training yields selective, task-specific improvements in performance on simulated mining monitoring tasks, while highlighting the necessity of personalized assessment and training protocols that account for individual differences in cognitive plasticity.