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The argument that Working Memory (WM) is especially important for reading comprehension has been supported in previous research. The aim of this study was to test a non-computerized WM training met...

Objective: To study whether memory control beliefs predict response to memory training, or change as a result of participating in memory training. Methods: Eighty community based participants with ...

Introduction This study replicated and extended the findings from the author's previous pilot study to further explore how a spaced retrieval (SR) memory training program might be effectively applied to help persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) improve both short- and long-term recall of recent episodic events. Methods A quasi-experimental within-subject group study was conducted with 15 participants with a diagnosis of AD. Results Compared to a control condition, all participants were able to spontaneously recall significantly more specific details about trained events, and their recall was significantly enhanced when they were provided with cues. Although the findings indicated that people with AD were able to encode information during training, recall gains diminished by the end of the maintenance period. Discussion This study provides evidence that individuals with mild to moderate AD can learn and recall new episodic information through SR training. These findings support the use of SR as an intervention tool to help individuals maintain their functioning in episodic recent memory. However, more research into maintaining the long-term recall of recent episodic events is warranted.

Objective: Memory loss affects a large proportion of older adults. Research indicates a positive association between memory training and better memory performance as people age. However, studies on...

Interpreting, especially simultaneous interpreting, is a complex cognitive processing task that has special requirements for the interpreter’s memory resources. To date, interpreting scholars have ...

We explored whether newly developed application (Smartphone-based brain Anti-aging and memory Reinforcement Training, SMART) improved memory performance in older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMC).A total of 53 adults (range: 50-68 years; 52.8% female) were randomized into either one of two intervention groups [SMART (n = 18) vs. Fit Brains® (n = 19)] or a wait-list group (n = 16). Participants in the intervention groups underwent 15-20 minutes of training per day, five days per week for 8 weeks. We used objective cognitive measures to evaluate changes with respect to four domains: attention, memory, working memory (WM), and response inhibition. In addition, we included self-report questionnaires to assess levels of SMC, depression, and anxiety.Total WM quotient [t(17) = 6.27, p.001] as well as auditory-verbal WM score [t(17) = 4.45, p.001] increased significantly in the SMART group but not in the control groups. Self-reports of memory contentment, however, increased in the Fit Brains® group only [t(18) = 2.12, p.05).Use of an 8-week smartphone-based memory training program may improve WM function in older adults. However, objective improvement in performance does not necessarily lead to decreased SMC.

There is mixed evidence regarding neural change following cognitive training. Brain activation increase, decrease, or a combination of both may occur. We investigated training-induced neural change using two different memory training approaches.Very preterm born children (aged 7-12 years) were randomly allocated to a memory strategy training, an intensive working memory practice or a waiting control group. Before and immediately after the trainings and the waiting period, brain activation during a visual working memory task was measured using fMRI and cognitive performance was assessed.Following both memory trainings, there was a significant decrease of fronto-parietal brain activation and a significant increase of memory performance. In the control group, no neural or performance change occurred after the waiting period.These pilot data point towards a training-related decrease of brain activation, independent of the training approach. Our data highlight the high training-induced plasticity of the child's brain during development.

Novel strategies are needed in the treatment of hallucinations as a subgroup of patients with pathological hallucinations (>30%) do not respond to antipsychotics or are not compliant with medication. We review recently developed biological and cognitive treatments. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation concerns neuromodulation targeted at aberrant activity in regions shown to be hyperactive in neuroimaging studies. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has been shown to reduce auditory hallucinations in several studies. However, not all studies have confirmed such effects, and a number of questions remain. With regard to cognitive therapeutic approaches, new proposals include attention training, acceptance and commitment therapy, and competitive memory training. After a brief discussion of these approaches, we take stock of recent advances and discuss avenues for future research.

Prior research examining the effectiveness of memory enhancement programs targeting both objective and subjective memory has yielded results with varying degrees of success. The current investigation aimed to contribute to the present body of memory training literature through the evaluation of an in-home memory enhancement program for older adults.Fifty-three community-dwelling older adults were assigned to either a memory enhancement condition or a minimal social support condition.Those in the memory enhancement condition had significant improvement in remembering names with faces and not misplacing household objects. Additionally, those in the memory enhancement condition also reported being more content with their memory, having fewer lapses in memory, greater use of mnemonic strategies, and were less bothered by memory complaints. Regression analyses indicated that neither levels of positive nor negative affect were predictive of participants' objective and subjective memory at post-treatment.Results of these analyses provide support for the use of memory enhancement programs to improve older adults' ability to keep track of items, remember names and faces, and to also feel better about their memory ability.

This study aimed to describe the benefits of memory training for older adults with low education. Twenty-nine healthy older adults with zero to two years of formal education participated. Sixteen participants received training based on categorization (categorization group = CATG) and 13 received training based on mental images (imagery group = IMG). One group served as control for the other because they trained with different strategies. Training was offered in eight sessions of 90 minutes. The participants were evaluated pre- and posttraining. IMG improved performance in episodic memory tests and had reduced depressive symptoms. CATG increased the use of categorization but did not increase performance in episodic memory tests. Results suggest that the strategy based on the creation of mental images was more effective for older adults with low formal education.

We examined maintenance effects following training in a self-generated strategy versus a mnemonic strategy, designed to improve recall of four-digit numbers in older adults. This was accomplished by reassessing participants from a previous study eight months after completion of training. A control group that received no training was also included. The results showed that both training groups maintained training-related gains in number recall performance eight months later in a criterion task providing cognitive support. However, when no support was provided, number recall performance for the mnemonic group dropped slightly whereas performance for the self-generated strategy group improved. The control group maintained performance across assessments. These data indicate the numerical memory training may result in long-term effects in older adults and that, under some conditions, practising one's own memory strategies may have advantages over mnemonic training in old age.

We explore a novel theory‐guided approach for training memory in older adults that distinguishes between recollection and automatic influences. Participants were given multiple trials of a continuous recognition task in which they had to use recollection to identify repeated items. After each correct trial, the number of intervening items between repetitions was gradually increased (incremented‐difficulty approach). Initially, accurate identification only occurred with two intervening items, which increased to 28 items following 6 hours of training. A second group of participants was given an equal amount of practice with the task but the number of intervening items was varied randomly across trials, independent of accuracy. These individuals showed significantly smaller gains in recollection. Results suggest that an incremented‐difficulty approach can enhance the ability to recollect information across increasing delay intervals. Implications for future training efforts are discussed.

Various programs have been developed to help older adults improve their memory performance. The majority of these programs have included instruction in one or more mnemonic techniques, some of which may be more useful than others in the everyday lives of most elders. The current study compared a shorter, problem-targeted version of a self-taught memory training program to the original, which has been shown in prior research to be effective. The shorter program focused on three of the most common memory complaints of older adults: (a) memory for names of people; (b) misplaced household objects; and (c) memory for dates and appointments; the longer program also included some list-learning mnemonic techniques and additional practice time with all the mnemonics. Both training programs produced some improvement compared to a delayed-training control condition. However, the longer program produced significant improvement on more outcome measures than did the shorter, problem-targeted program. In addition, direc...

The effectiveness of three memory improvement programs, relative to a wait-list condition, was evaluated in residents of a retirement community. The interventions consisted of: (a) a group-based memory course; (b) one of two self-paced, commercially available audiotape memory improvement programs; and (c) individualized, microcomputer-based, memory training. Participants in each condition received approximately 90 minutes of instruction per week for 9 weeks. Memory performance and self-reported memory function and mood were assessed before and after each intervention. Significant performance gains were found in all three groups on the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test, but these gains were not accompanied by gains in word-list learning or perceived improvement in memory. Whereas participants in all three conditions also reported fewer depressive symptoms after intervention, these changes did not account for the improved memory performance. Participants who showed performance gains with intervention were ta...

A new course in memory and memory improvement was taught to two classes of older adults. The class outline and sample improvement techniques are described. All participants were surveyed about their memory complaints, techniques they had learned and used, and whether the course helped reduce anxiety about memory. The second class also took a pre‐ and two posttests of their memory for different stories to measure the effectiveness of the course. Results showed that the most frequent complaint was not being able to remember names and that almost all participants reported a reduction in anxiety. The two classes differed on most frequently used technique. Scores on immediate and 4‐week‐delayed posttests showed significantly better performance than on a pretest of memory. The course seems to reduce anxiety and provide stable, generalizable memory improvement.

This study expanded earlier work demonstrating the efficacies of two methods of memory training for head-injured patients, both of which utilize imagery mnemonics. Patients were taught to remember long word lists and to associate names with faces. Computer-assisted technologies have been developed for these methods, and comparisons were made between the computerized and original, non-computerized versions. It was found that the computer-assisted procedures were at least as, if not more, effective than the original procedures. A replication combining both samples (N = 30) again demonstrated the efficacy of the two training methods. The study supports the previous finding that head-injured patients can learn and utilize these mnemonic techniques and indicates that computer assistance may have a beneficial effect.

Attentional and memory training was administered to 14 alcoholic patients whose performance was compared to that of 15 waiting-list control patients in a residential care centre. Patients had been abstinent for at least 6 weeks. Treatment was carried out over 6 weeks and consisted of 12 training sessions and 6 memory-games sessions. Assessments were carried out before and after treatment and over an equivalent time-span in the control group. The treated groups showed a small but significant improvement in verbal memory, both immediate and delayed, as well as in reproduction of figures.

This study examined 129 participants in seven types of memory training programs in Belgium. It was found that more than half of the subjects participated because they felt their memory was deteriorating or because they were afraid of memory deterioration. After completion of the program, subjects rated the training as being somewhat too short, as useful for their daily lives, as very pleasant, and as being of adequate difficulty. Almost all subjects indicated they would like to take part in a follow‐up training program. Forty‐one percent of the subjects indicated increased memory awareness as the main effect; other effects often cited included the discovery that subjects were not the only ones with complaints, increased knowledge of memory functioning, and the possibility for self‐development. However, no pre‐to‐posttraining effect could be found on scales of the Memory Functioning Questionnaire, except for a small (but significant) increase in self‐reported frequency of forgetting.

We developed a specific problem-solving training (PST) and tested it in a small group study. The primary objective of the PST was to provide patients with techniques enabling them to reduce the complexity of a multistage problem by breaking it down to more manageable portions. Thirty-seven “poor” problem solvers were alternately allocated (i.e. in the sequence of their admission) to either a 6-week, 25-session PST (n = 20) or to a memory training (MT; n = 17) of comparable intensity and duration. Treatment effects were evaluated using standard German intelligence tests, the tower-of-Hanoi puzzle, a specifically designed planning test, and a rating of nine aspects of everyday problem-solving behaviour. Data revealed significant prepost effects of the PST in the planning test scores, in all behavioural ratings, and in some intelligence subtests. In comparison, the same tests indicated only minor improvement of the MT.

(1992). Achieving generalization of memory training. Brain Injury: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 107-108.

SummaryA survey of rehabilitation units and other hospitals and departments involved in the management of memory dysfunction revealed considerable variation in approaches to treatment and in assessment techniques. A very few respondents with a special interest in memory dysfunction were using wide ranges of tests, training procedures and aids. Other respondents were concerned about the lack of training and in the management of memory problems and the lack of guidance as to what techniques should be used. A pragmatic approach to helping patients with particular problems is contrasted with general memory training and the assumptions underlying such training are discussed.ResumeUne enquěte menee sur les centres de reeducation et autres hopitaux et services specialises dans le traitement de la dysfonction de la memoire a revele un nombre considerable de traitements et de techniques d'evaluation differents. Parmi les personnes contactees s'interessant tout particulierement a la dysfonction de la memoire, un no...

Ten patients with histories of closed-head injury with persistent amnesia were given courses of memory training in list recall and face-name associations. The list-learning technique involved embedding words into high imagery stories, and the face-name association technique utilized an imagery technique in which physical features of faces were associated with names. In both cases, generalization of learning was encouraged by changing training materials over sessions. Subjects increased their ability to recall lengthy lists despite the fact that the list items were changed at each session during the last seven sessions of the 15-session training course. Learning efficiency was also increased on the face-naming procedure, as demonstrated by a significant reduction in trials needed to learn a series of eight face-name associations.

This study compares the effects of two types of training programs on memory complaints, memory performance, and affective status in the community elderly. Prior research has suggested that although there are some age differences in memory, the memory complaints of older persons are related to depression and not to actual memory performance. In the present project subjects were randomly assigned into one of two treatment groups: (1) memory training, which received instruction in specific memory enhancement techniques, and (2) growth, which dealt with interpersonal and affective issues. The sample was comprised of women over SO, who responded to advertisements for a memory clinic. The results indicate that both training groups significantly reduced concerns about memory and resulted in improved memory performance. Further analysis suggested that changes in depression, not memory performance, were significantly associated with lessened complaints about memory following training. These results indicate the ef...

Although magnitudes of memory improvement for the elderly tend to be larger for a learning skill training and a social support group compared with a waiting list group, the individual variability is sufficiently large to obscure statistical differences in the treatment effect. In our examination of individual variability in the data two possible confounding factors were uncovered: (1) low baseline performers tend to improve regardless of the treatment whereas high baseliners tend not to improve or decline in their posttest performances; (2) high verbal IQ subjects tend to perform well on all memory tests. A lesson learned in this study is that if these two variables are not equally distributed across treatment and control groups spurious results may be obtained.

This article provides information on cognitive processes in the elderly. Topics that are discussed include: remote and recent memory, inferencing, metamemory, affective dimensions, memory training, and problem solving. The purpose of this article is to provide educational gerontologists with a discussion of memory functioning in the elderly. Finally, it is suggested that further research is needed to develop better programs and interventions that incorporate the elderly as an active participant. In this context it is suggested that cognition be viewed as a complex interaction of social, affective and physical factors.

A memory‐impaired client at an adult day‐care center was trained to remember the name of a staff member using the spaced‐retrieval technique. After two brief training sessions, the client demonstrated long‐term retention of the target name. Retention was maintained at follow‐up testing 6 months later. Details of the unique aspects of this cognitive intervention, along with implications of this project for cognitive aging research in general, are discussed. In particular, the social and emotional components of memory‐ and cognitive training tasks are emphasized.

This study examined memory and improvement in memory following memory training. Variables included: age, number of years of formal education, number of years since formal education, number of classes taken in the last fifteen years, participants' perceptions of health as it relates to attention and memory, particiants' perceptions of relevance of course material to their everyday lives and careers. Data indicated statistical significances in the relationships of memory with (1) age, (2) number of years since formal education and (3) number of classes taken in the last fifteen years. No statistical significance between variables was elicited in improvement in memory following memory training, however, many interesting trends were noted. The memory techniques presented in this research should be very instructive to occupational therapists who teach and interact with elderly clients.

The present study assessed the association between rated mental status and response to a memory‐training program. A commonly used general measure of cognitive impairment, the Mini‐Mental State Exam (MMSE), was administered to 102 elderly participants enrolled in a 2‐week memory‐training program. The program used two visual‐imagery mnemonics (name‐face recall and list learning by the “method of loci"). The MMSE scores were positively related to improvement in recall performance. Individuals with relatively mild deficits (those scoring below 29) showed less improvement than those scoring 29 and 30. Differences in ability to benefit from training were also noted between the two mnemonic devices, suggesting a more rapid fall off in ability to benefit from training with a more complex mnemonic, the method of loci.