The long-term goal of this project is to improve memory training programs so that they better benefit older adults, particularly those of advanced age or lower initial ability. Memory problems are a major complaint for older adults. Improving training programs to benefit those at greatest disadvantage would address this public concern. These goals are especially relevant to the Behavioral and Social Research division of the National Institute on Aging. The NIA BSR Review Committee Report (May, 2004) specifically identified behavioral interventions to improve cognitive function as an important mission of this agency. It called for greater theoretical depth in this area, and better integration of individual differences and population level research overall. The present proposal integrates an established theoretical perspective and new individual- differences data collected by the PI to inform an experimental manipulation hypothesized to increase training effectiveness. This proposal builds on an extended (seven days) training program that has shown robust, long-lasting benefits to older adults' memory, including successful transfer to other memory tasks (Jennings & Jacoby, 2003; Jennings et al., 2005). This program specifically targets the controlled memory processes that decline most with age (Jennings & Jacoby, 1993; Hasher & Zacks, 1979). It consists of several short study- test cycles during which participants first study a list of words, and then complete a recognition test during which they must discriminate studied words from unstudied words. Unstudied words are repeated during the test period, so that controlled memory processing is required to discriminate between studied and repeated-unstudied words. When a participant reaches criterion at the current level of difficulty, the number of items between repetitions is increased. Participants are thus continuously challenged to increase their engagement of cognitive control. Data collected by the PI leads to the hypothesis that encoding strategy is a major mediator of age and individual differences in the amount of training benefits (Bissig & Lustig, in press; see also Craik & Byrd, 1982). This hypothesis will be tested by enforcing encoding strategies to observe their effects on training benefits, especially for the oldest-old. It is expected that deep, integrateive encoding will lead to substantial benefits in the training task, benefits that may also transfer to other memory tests. Memory problems are a major complaint for older adults. Improving memory programs to benefit those who are at greatest disadvantage would address this public concern. The National Advisory Council on Aging's review of NIA's Behavioral and Social Science Research division (May, 2004) specifically identified behavioral interventions to improve cognitive function as an important mission, called for greater theoretical depth in this area, and encouraged better integration of individual differences and population level research. ? ? ?
| Flegal, Kristin E; Lustig, Cindy (2016) You can go your own way: effectiveness of participant-driven versus experimenter-driven processing strategies in memory training and transfer. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn 23:389-417 |
| Ossher, Lynn; Flegal, Kristin E; Lustig, Cindy (2013) Everyday memory errors in older adults. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn 20:220-42 |
| Lustig, Cindy; Shah, Priti; Seidler, Rachael et al. (2009) Aging, training, and the brain: a review and future directions. Neuropsychol Rev 19:504-22 |
| Lustig, Cindy; Flegal, Kristin E (2008) Targeting latent function: encouraging effective encoding for successful memory training and transfer. Psychol Aging 23:754-64 |
