Adult lifespan

Abstract

Normal aging is generally associated with deterioration in a number of cognitive abilities, although large individual differences in size and progression of age-related cognitive change exist. Cognitive training interventions have become an increasingly important object of research, aiming at the stabilization and improvement of cognitive abilities in old age. However, training gains tend to be of small to moderate magnitude compared to no training both on the behavioral and the brain level, but are small or disappear when compared to active control conditions. Across the different types of training interventions, mainly near transfer effects of small to moderate size have been documented. Based on the existing literature, we argue that apart from methodological and design-related improvements, transferring standardized, lab-based training interventions and transfer assessment into real life is one of the most challenging endeavors for future training research. Moreover, future research should further investigate the role of interindividual differences and time-varying intraindividual covariates in older adults to facilitate the systematic evaluation of individually tailored interventions.