Impact of Working Memory Training on Memory Performance in Old-Old Adults

Memory impairments constitute an increasing objective and subjective problem with advancing age. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of working memory training on memory performance. The authors trained a sample of 80-year-old adults twice weekly over a time period of 3 months...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology and aging 2008-12, Vol.23 (4), p.743-753
Main Authors: Buschkuehl, Martin, Jaeggi, Susanne M, Hutchison, Sara, Perrig-Chiello, Pasqualina, Däpp, Christoph, Müller, Matthias, Breil, Fabio, Hoppeler, Hans, Perrig, Walter J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Aging - psychology
Brain
Elderly people
Episodic Memory
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Human
Humans
Long Term Memory
Male
Memory
Memory, Short-Term
Older people
Orientation
Pattern Recognition, Visual
Plasticity
Practice (Psychology)
Psychomotor Performance
Retention (Psychology)
Serial Learning
Speech Perception
Studies
Task performance
Training
Transfer (Learning)
Transfer (Psychology)
Visual task performance
Working memory
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Summary:Memory impairments constitute an increasing objective and subjective problem with advancing age. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of working memory training on memory performance. The authors trained a sample of 80-year-old adults twice weekly over a time period of 3 months. Participants were tested on 4 different memory measures before, immediately after, and 1 year after training completion. The authors found overall increased memory performance in the experimental group compared to an active control group immediately after training completion. This increase was especially pronounced in visual working memory performance and, to a smaller degree, also in visual episodic memory. No group differences were found 1 year after training completion. The results indicate that even in old-old adults, brain plasticity is strong enough to result in transfer effects, that is, performance increases in tasks that were not trained during the intervention.
ISSN:0882-7974
1939-1498
DOI:10.1037/a0014342