Basak Chandramallika, Boot Walter R, Voss Michelle W, Kramer Arthur F
Beckman Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Psychol Aging. 2008 Dec;23(4):765-77. doi: 10.1037/a0013494.
Declines in various cognitive abilities, particularly executive control functions, are observed in older adults. An important goal of cognitive training is to slow or reverse these age-related declines. However, opinion is divided in the literature regarding whether cognitive training can engender transfer to a variety of cognitive skills in older adults. In the current study, the authors trained older adults in a real-time strategy video game for 23.5 hr in an effort to improve their executive functions. A battery of cognitive tasks, including tasks of executive control and visuospatial skills, were assessed before, during, and after video-game training. The trainees improved significantly in the measures of game performance. They also improved significantly more than the control participants in executive control functions, such as task switching, working memory, visual short-term memory, and reasoning. Individual differences in changes in game performance were correlated with improvements in task switching. The study has implications for the enhancement of executive control processes of older adults.
在老年人中观察到各种认知能力的下降,尤其是执行控制功能。认知训练的一个重要目标是减缓或逆转这些与年龄相关的下降。然而,关于认知训练是否能促使老年人将能力转移到各种认知技能上,文献中的观点存在分歧。在当前的研究中,作者让老年人参与一款实时策略视频游戏的训练,时长为23.5小时,以努力改善他们的执行功能。在视频游戏训练前、训练期间和训练后,对一系列认知任务进行了评估,包括执行控制任务和视觉空间技能任务。受训者在游戏表现的测量指标上有显著提高。他们在执行控制功能方面的改善也显著超过了对照组参与者,如任务切换、工作记忆、视觉短期记忆和推理。游戏表现变化的个体差异与任务切换的改善相关。该研究对增强老年人的执行控制过程具有启示意义。