Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
Psychol Aging. 2011 Dec;26(4):813-22. doi: 10.1037/a0023631. Epub 2011 Jun 27.
There has been a great deal of interest, both privately and commercially, in using working memory training exercises to improve general cognitive function. However, many of the laboratory findings for older adults, a group in which this training is of utmost interest, are discouraging due to the lack of transfer to other tasks and skills. Importantly, improvements in everyday functioning remain largely unexamined in relation to WM training. We trained working memory in older adults using a task that encourages transfer in young adults (Chein & Morrison, 2010). We tested transfer to measures of working memory (e.g., Reading Span), everyday cognitive functioning [the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) and the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)], and other tasks of interest. Relative to controls, trained participants showed transfer improvements in Reading Span and the number of repetitions on the CVLT. Training group participants were also significantly more likely to self-report improvements in everyday attention. Our findings support the use of ecological tasks as a measure of transfer in an older adult population.
人们对使用工作记忆训练来提高一般认知功能产生了浓厚的兴趣，无论是在私人领域还是商业领域。然而，对于老年人这一最感兴趣的群体，由于缺乏向其他任务和技能的迁移，许多实验室的发现令人沮丧。重要的是，与 WM 训练相关的日常生活功能的改善在很大程度上仍未得到检验。我们使用一项鼓励年轻人迁移的任务来训练老年人的工作记忆（Chein & Morrison，2010）。我们测试了工作记忆（例如阅读广度）、日常认知功能[日常注意测验（TEA）和加利福尼亚语言学习测验（CVLT）]和其他感兴趣任务的迁移。与对照组相比，受过训练的参与者在阅读广度和 CVLT 上的重复次数方面表现出了迁移的提高。训练组的参与者也更有可能自我报告日常注意力的提高。我们的发现支持将生态任务作为衡量老年人迁移的一种手段。
