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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Can an old dog learn (and want to experience) new tricks? Cognitive training increases openness to experience in
Joshua J Jackson1, Patrick L Hill, Brennan R Payne
1Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis. St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. j.jackson@wustl.edu
Abstract:
The present study investigated whether an intervention aimed to increase cognitive ability in older adults also changes the personality trait of openness to experience. Older adults completed a 16-week program in inductive reasoning training supplemented by weekly crossword and Sudoku puzzles. Changes in openness to experience were modeled across four assessments over 30 weeks using latent growth curve models. Results indicate that participants in the intervention condition increased in the trait of openness compared with a waitlist control group. The study is one of the first to demonstrate that personality traits can change through nonpsychopharmocological interventions.
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