Response to memory training and individual differences in verbal intelligence and state anxiety.

Prior studies have documented the effectiveness of several types of memory training for the elderly with normal age-related memory losses. Despite these positive results, there is substantial variability of individual response to treatment. The authors describe attributes of individuals most likely to benefit from two types of memory training. They found that for 40 elderly volunteers performance on the WAIS vocabulary subscale correlated with response to a treatment combining mnemonics and verbal elaboration techniques and scores on the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory correlated with response to a treatment combining mnemonics and relaxation techniques.