The influence of cognitive training on older adults' recall for short stories

This article investigated how a multicomponent memory intervention affected memory for prose. We compared verbatim and paraphrased recall for short stories immediately and 1, 2, 3, and 5 years post-intervention in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) sample.

We studied 1,912 ACTIVE participants aged 65 to 91. Participants were randomized into one of three training arms (Memory, Reasoning, Speed of Processing) or a no-contact Control group; about half of the trained participants received additional booster training 1 and 3 years post-intervention.

Memory-trained participants showed higher verbatim recall than non-memory-trained participants. Booster-memory training led to higher verbatim recall. Memory training effects were evident immediately following training and not after 1 year following training.

Results suggest that multifactorial memory training can improve verbatim recall for prose, but the effect does not last without continued intervention.