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Can training in a real-time strategy video game attenuate cognitive decline in older adults?

2008; American Psychological Association; Volume: 23; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1037/a0013494

1939-1498

Chandramallika Basak, Walter R. Boot, Michelle W. Voss, Arthur F. Kramer,

Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Declines in various cognitive abilities, particularly executive control functions, are observed in older adults.An important goal of cognitive training is to slow or reverse these age-related declines.However, opinion is divided in the literature regarding whether cognitive training can engender transfer to a variety of cognitive skills in older adults.Yet, recent research indicates that videogame training of young adults may engender broad transfer to skills of visual attention.In the current study, we used a real-time strategy videogame to attempt to train executive functions in older adults, such as working memory, task switching, short-term memory, inhibition, and reasoning.Older adults were either trained in a real-time strategy videogame for 23.5 hours (RON, n=20) or not (CONTROLS, n=20).A battery of cognitive tasks, including tasks of executive control and visuo-spatial skills, were assessed before, during, and after video game training.The trainees improved significantly in the measures of game performance.They also improved significantly more than the controls in a subset of the cognitive tasks, such as task switching, working memory, visual short term memory, and mental rotation.Trends in improvement were also observed, for the video game trainees, in inhibition and reasoning.Individual differences in changes in game performance were correlated with improvements in task-switching.The study has implications for the enhancement of executive control processes of older adults.