Brief Strategy Training in Aging: Near Transfer Effects and Mediation of Gains by Improved Self-Regulation

Abstract

A common approach to cognitive intervention for adults is memory strategy training, but limited work of this type has examined intervention effects in relation to self-regulation (e.g., strategy usage, memory beliefs) and few have established near transfer (training-related performance gain on untrained tasks related to the target task). The present research, Everyday Memory Clinic—Revised (EMC-R), examined whether relatively brief face-name association training, offering elements focused on self-regulation, can improve name recall, enhance memory self-regulation, and lead to near transfer. Participants were 122 healthy, well-educated middle-aged and older adults (51–90 years old) randomly assigned to a strategy training program (SO), a comparable program with a theoretical self-regulatory boost (SB), or a waitlist control group. Compared to the waitlist group, both groups of trainees demonstrated higher pretest-posttest improvements in name recall (target task), memory self-efficacy, and effective strategy use, as well as the near transfer of gains to nontrained associative tasks, a rare finding in strategy training research. Furthermore, changes in memory self-efficacy and strategy use fully mediated the effect of training on name recall. This innovative approach for brief memory intervention offers a model for successful training that can be easily disseminated via community centers and lifelong learning programs.