Working memory training in older adults: evidence of transfer and maintenance effects.
Few studies have examined working memory (WM) training-related gains and their transfer and maintenance effects in older adults. This present research investigates the efficacy of a verbal WM training program in adults aged 65-75 years, considering specific training gains on a verbal WM (criterion) task as well as transfer effects on measures of visuospatial WM, short-term memory, inhibition, processing speed, and fluid intelligence. Maintenance of training benefits was evaluated at 8-month follow-up. Trained older adults showed higher performance than did controls on the criterion task and maintained this benefit after 8 months. Substantial general transfer effects were found for the trained group, but not for the control one. Transfer maintenance gains were found at follow-up, but only for fluid intelligence and processing speed tasks. The results are discussed in terms of cognitive plasticity in older adults.
Department of General Psychology, Via Venezia 8, Padua, Italy. erika.borella@unipd.it
Erika
E
Borella
Barbara
B
Carretti
Francesco
F
Riboldi
Rossana
R
De Beni
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011939:Mental Recall; D057190:Stroop Test; D013663:Teaching; D014163:Transfer, Psychology