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Cognitive plasticity in adulthood and old age: Gauging the generality of cognitive intervention effects

Noack, Hannes ; Lövdén, Martin LU ; Schmiedek, Florian and Lindenberger, Ulman (2009) In Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience 27(5). p.435-453
Abstract
Interventions enabling aging individuals to fulfill their plastic potential promise to postpone, attenuate, or even reverse the adverse effects of senescent brain changes on cognitive abilities and everyday competence in old age. Based on an overview of the concept of plasticity in lifespan development, we selectively review evidence from cognitive intervention studies and conclude that most of them have failed to observe generalizable performance improvements, as documented by the small size and scope of positive transfer to untrained tasks. We further note that generally accepted criteria for defining transfer distance are lacking, rendering the relevant evidence difficult to interpret. Hence, we propose a taxonomy of transfer distance... (More)
Interventions enabling aging individuals to fulfill their plastic potential promise to postpone, attenuate, or even reverse the adverse effects of senescent brain changes on cognitive abilities and everyday competence in old age. Based on an overview of the concept of plasticity in lifespan development, we selectively review evidence from cognitive intervention studies and conclude that most of them have failed to observe generalizable performance improvements, as documented by the small size and scope of positive transfer to untrained tasks. We further note that generally accepted criteria for defining transfer distance are lacking, rendering the relevant evidence difficult to interpret. Hence, we propose a taxonomy of transfer distance based on the structure of human intellectual abilities. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience
volume
27
issue
5
pages
435 - 453
publisher
IOS Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000272489200006
  • scopus:70350513548
  • pmid:19847069
ISSN
1878-3627
DOI
10.3233/RNN-2009-0496
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2b42a53a-d952-4252-93eb-485ea2de8054 (old id 1532944)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:23:32
date last changed
2022-02-11 20:52:21
@article{2b42a53a-d952-4252-93eb-485ea2de8054,
  abstract     = {{Interventions enabling aging individuals to fulfill their plastic potential promise to postpone, attenuate, or even reverse the adverse effects of senescent brain changes on cognitive abilities and everyday competence in old age. Based on an overview of the concept of plasticity in lifespan development, we selectively review evidence from cognitive intervention studies and conclude that most of them have failed to observe generalizable performance improvements, as documented by the small size and scope of positive transfer to untrained tasks. We further note that generally accepted criteria for defining transfer distance are lacking, rendering the relevant evidence difficult to interpret. Hence, we propose a taxonomy of transfer distance based on the structure of human intellectual abilities.}},
  author       = {{Noack, Hannes and Lövdén, Martin and Schmiedek, Florian and Lindenberger, Ulman}},
  issn         = {{1878-3627}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{435--453}},
  publisher    = {{IOS Press}},
  series       = {{Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience}},
  title        = {{Cognitive plasticity in adulthood and old age: Gauging the generality of cognitive intervention effects}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/RNN-2009-0496}},
  doi          = {{10.3233/RNN-2009-0496}},
  volume       = {{27}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}