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Working memory training format in older adults: individual versus group sessions

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Abstract

Working memory (WM) training has been shown to increase the performance of participants in WM tasks and in other cognitive abilities, but there has been no study comparing directly the impact of training format (individual vs. group) using the same protocol. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of the Borella et al. three session verbal WM training offered in two different formats on target and transfer tasks. This study was conducted in two waves. In the first wave, participants were randomized into individual training (n = 11) and individual control conditions (n = 15). In the second wave, participants were randomized into group training (n = 16) and group control conditions (n = 17). Training consisted of three sessions of WM exercises and participants in the active control condition responded to questionnaires during the same time. There was significant improvement for both training conditions at post-test and maintenance at follow-up for the target task, other WM tasks, processing speed, and executive functions tasks. The ANOVA results showed that the training gains did not depend on the WM training format. However, the effect size analyses suggested that this intervention can be more effective, at short term and follow-up, when provided individually. To conclude, this study showed that providing this training collectively or individually does not change the training benefits, which increases the possibilities of its use in different contexts.

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Funding

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, project number 141031/2014).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament of Neurology, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 255, 5 floor, 5083, São Paulo, Brazil

    Paula Schimidt Brum & Mônica Sanches Yassuda

  2. Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Erika Borella & Barbara Carretti

  3. Gerontology, School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Mônica Sanches Yassuda

Authors
  1. Paula Schimidt Brum
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  2. Erika Borella
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  3. Barbara Carretti
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  4. Mônica Sanches Yassuda
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paula Schimidt Brum.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Paula Brum received financial support from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, project number 141031/2014). No other authors have any conflicts of interests or sources of funding to disclose.

Ethical approval

This study was carried out according to international ethical standards (Helsinki Declaration) and was approved by the ethical committee of the local university (Process number 141031/2014).

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The patient involved in this case was appropriately consented for this publication using the institution’s policy for media consent.

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Brum, P.S., Borella, E., Carretti, B. et al. Working memory training format in older adults: individual versus group sessions. Aging Clin Exp Res 32, 2357–2366 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01468-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01468-0

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