Cognitive training apps and programs promise to sharpen memory, improve attention and prevent cognitive decline. One important question about these claims is whether the improvements produced by such exercises transfer to other cognitive functions, such as those used for driving, managing an agenda or following a conversation.
Caroll-Ann Blanchette, a doctoral student in biomedical sciences and researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute's EPIC Center, decided to find out.
Under the supervision of Professor Louis Bherer of UdeM's Department of Medicine, Blanchette conducted a study to measure the transfer effect of cognitive training. The results, published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, show that the benefits of training do transfer to other tasks, but to a different degree in younger and older adults.
Two age groups and two types of training
A total of 84 participants—35 young adults aged 18 to 30 and 49 older adults aged 60 and older—were assigned to one of two training programs, consisting of six 45- to 60-minute sessions spread over four weeks.
