title: Combined Cognitive Training vs. Memory Strategy Training in Healthy Older Adults.
abstract: As mnemonic utilization deficit in older adults associates with age-related decline in executive function, we hypothesized that memory strategy training combined with executive function training might induce larger training effect in memory and broader training effects in non-memory outcomes than pure memory training. The present study compared the effects of combined cognitive training (executive function training plus memory strategy training) to pure memory strategy training. Forty healthy older adults were randomly assigned to a combined cognitive training group or a memory strategy training group. A control group receiving no training was also included. Combined cognitive training group received 16 sessions of training (eight sessions of executive function training followed by eight sessions of memory strategy training). Memory training group received 16 sessions of memory strategy training. The results partly supported our hypothesis in that indeed improved performance on executive function was only found in combined training group, whereas memory performance increased less in combined training compared to memory strategy group. Results suggest that combined cognitive training may be less efficient than pure memory training in memory outcomes, though the influences from insufficient training time and less closeness between trained executive function and working memory could not be excluded; however it has broader training effects in non-memory outcomes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR-OON-16007793.
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging Psychology, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; English Department, Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences, Technische Universität BraunschweigBraunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging Psychology, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China.
authors.forename: Xinyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging Psychology, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging Psychology, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; Human Information Processing Laboratory, School of Social Science and Humanities, University of TampereTampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Tingji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging Psychology, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Pengyun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging Psychology, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: cognitive training; executive function training; memory strategy training; mnemonic utilization; older adults