Remembering mnemonics: a three-year follow-up on the effects of mnemonics training in elderly adults

The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term impact of providing training in mnemonics to a small group of elderly adults. We wished to determine if such training could be utilized effectively some three years (34 months) after initial training. Nine of ten original subjects consented to take part in the retesting exercise. Ages ranged from 66 to 85 yrs (M = 73.5). Our results demonstrate that though loci generally were available for use in remembering a new word list, they usually were not effectively utilized to enhance recall. Our participants also agreed that the training they had received was useful. In spite of this, a majority of the respondents did not use the method of loci after training. However, adults of all ages often do not utilize mnemonics training once its effectiveness has been demonstrated. Therefore, creating effective cognitive interventions may require that we adopt techniques that have been shown to improve compliance in other areas of healthy living.