Long-Term Efficacy of Cognitive Training for Age-Associated Memory Impairment: A Six-Month Follow-Up Study

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the impact of pretraining on the long-term effect of an imagery-based mnemonic in persons with age-associated memory impairment (AAMI). Eighty-two participants were randomly assigned to one of six groups: (1) verbal judgment pretraining plus mnemonic training, (2) visual imagery elaboration pretraining plus mnemonic training, (3) relaxation pretraining plus mnemonic training, (4) nonspecific pretraining plus mnemonic training, (5) nonspecific training, and (6) wait list. Participants receiving the three specific pretraining techniques along with mnemonic training (Groups I to 3) recalled more than those receiving nonspecific pretraining with mnemonic training (Group 4) or nonspecific pretraining without mnemonics (Group 5). Participants receiving mnemonic training (Groups 1 to 4) did not differ from nonmnemonic controls (Group 5) at 6 months. The results suggest that specific pretraining strategies can help maintain beneficial effects of imagery-based mnemonics over time.