Working Memory Plasticity in Old Age: Practice Gain, Transfer, and Maintenance

被引:249
作者
Li, Shu-Chen [1 ]
Schmiedek, Florian [1 ,2 ]
Huxhold, Oliver [1 ,3 ]
Roecke, Christina [1 ,4 ]
Smith, Jacqui [1 ,5 ]
Lindenberger, Ulman [1 ]
机构
[1] Max Planck Inst Human Dev, Ctr Lifespan Psychol, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
[2] Humboldt Univ, Dept Psychol, Berlin, Germany
[3] German Ctr Gerontol, Berlin, Germany
[4] Univ Zurich, Dept Psychol, Zurich, Switzerland
[5] Univ Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
关键词
working memory; plasticity; cognitive training; transfer; aging;
D O I
10.1037/a0014343
中图分类号
R4 [临床医学]; R592 [老年病学];
学科分类号
1002 ; 100203 ; 100602 ;
摘要
Adult age differences in cognitive plasticity have been Studied less often in working memory than in episodic memory. The authors investigated the effects of extensive working memory practice oil performance improvement. transfer, and short-term maintenance of practice gains and transfer effects. Adults age 20-30 years and 70-80 years practiced a spatial working memory task with 2 levels of processing demands across 45 days for about 15 min per day. In both age groups and relative to age-matched, no-contact control groups. we found (a) Substantial performance gains oil the practiced task, (b) near transfer to a more demanding spatial n-back task and to numerical n-back tasks, and (c) 3-month maintenance of practice gains and near transfer effects, with decrements relative to postpractice performance among older but not younger adults. No evidence was found for far transfer to complex span tasks. The authors discuss neuronal mechanisms underlying adult age differences and similarities in patterns of plasticity and conclude that the potential of deliberate working memory practice as a tool For improving cognition in old age merits further exploration.
引用
收藏
页码:731 / 742
页数:12
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