Working memory
Can unpredictable memory training boost mental flexibility in seniors?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Older adults who practiced a working memory task with unpredictable target shifts showed better transfer to untrained episodic memory skills than those who practiced with predictable patterns.
Key findings
Immediately after training, the unpredictable training group showed greater improvements in a story recall task compared to the predictable group, yielding a medium effect. Individual learning rates on the training task predicted these cognitive gains. However, these improvements did not persist during the delayed testing session.
Methodology
Researchers randomly assigned forty-three older adults to either a predictable or unpredictable version of a working memory training program. The training occurred over five daily sessions across 2 weeks. The researchers evaluated participants on untrained tasks like story recall and abstract reasoning immediately after training and again after a 1.5 month retention period.
Limitations
The study did not include a passive or active control group outside of the training conditions, meaning general practice or expectation effects cannot be completely ruled out. Additionally, the sample size was relatively small with forty-three participants analyzed, which limits the power to detect smaller cognitive changes. Finally, the training benefits did not endure to the delayed follow-up, indicating that five days of training is insufficient for long-term cognitive maintenance.
How this study connects
Role on claims
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Cognitive interventions, such as unpredictable working memory training, and physical interventions, such as classroom-based resistance training, can successfully transfer gains to improve episodic memory performance.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
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