Keywords
Age-related cognitive, brain training, older adults
Abstract
Grounded in cognitive neuroscience and social exchange theory, this research evaluated the relationship between changes in cognitive functioning and two psycho-social dimensions of life among healthy adults over the age of 70 (N=12). Specific psycho-social dimensions examined were social interaction and depression. Six females and six males participated in the study. All were white, college-educated individuals residing in a life-care residential retirement community. The participants used the Posit Science® Brain Fitness Program™, an auditory-based computer training program that improves memory and speed of processing, for forty hours over an eight-week period. Pre- and post-tests related to social interaction and depressive symptoms indicated that improvement in cognitive functioning was related to improvement in psychosocial dimensions in later life.
Recommended Citation
Hurley, D., Turner, M. J., & Bailey, W. C. (2008). Psycho-social effects of a brain-training program among healthy older adults. Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, 9(1), 24-29. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/discoverymag/vol9/iss1/7