Multitasking training on adaptive NeuroRacer reduced older adults' multitasking costs beyond active and no-contact controls, exceeding untrained 20-year-olds, with gains persisting 6 months¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 Only the multitasking training group significantly improved its multitasking performance index from pre- to post-training, with a session × group interaction favouring MTT over both control groups. → J. A. Anguera 2013 q3 i? MTT gains remained stable 6 months after training without booster sessions and post-training cost was significantly better than that of untrained 20-year-olds. → J. A. Anguera 2013 (2)

Evidence¶

J. A. Anguera 2013¶

J. A. Anguera, J. Boccanfuso, J. L. Rintoul, O. Al-Hashimi, F. Faraji, J. Janowich, E. Kong, Y. Larraburo, C. Rolle, E. Johnston & A. Gazzaley. (2013). Video game training enhances cognitive control in older adults. Nature 501. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12486

q3 · i3 · causal · r2

Experiment 2: randomized longitudinal trial assigning 46 older adults (60–85) to multitasking training (MTT, n = 16), single-task training (STT, n = 15), or no-contact control (NCC, n = 15); 12 h home training over 4 weeks. The interaction gave Cohen's d = 1.10, with "Cohen'sd for MTT vs STT 5 1.02; MTT vs NCC 5 1.20".

"showed a session X group interaction ( F(4,72) 5 7.17, P , 0.0001, Cohen's d 5 1.10), with follow-up analyses supporting a differential benefit for the MTT group (Cohen'sd for MTT vs STT 5 1.02; MTT vs NCC 5 1.20)"

J. A. Anguera 2013 (2)¶

J. A. Anguera, J. Boccanfuso, J. L. Rintoul, O. Al-Hashimi, F. Faraji, J. Janowich, E. Kong, Y. Larraburo, C. Rolle, E. Johnston & A. Gazzaley. (2013). Video game training enhances cognitive control in older adults. Nature 501. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12486

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Follow-up comparison in experiment 3 context: MTT post-training cost (reported as −21.9% at 6 months) was significantly better than the −36.7% cost of untrained 20-year-olds (P < 0.001); no effect size printed, so impact is null. Gains "remained stable 6 months after training without booster sessions".

"the MTT group's post-training cost improved significantly beyond the cost level attained by a group of 20 year olds who played a single session of NeuroRacer (236.7% cost; experiment 3; P , 0.001)"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Brain games produce statistically significant cognitive performance gains in older adults, but gains are modest and do not detect improvements over control tasks or produce far transfer — reports the opposite
• Six months after training, the experimental group showed a slight improvement over the control group in transferring argumentation to teaching practice, especially in mentioning argumentation in practice portfolios — related
• Multitasking training increased midline frontal theta power and frontal–posterior theta coherence in older adults only in the multitasking condition and only for the MTT group
• Older adults show reduced midline frontal theta power and frontal–posterior coherence relative to younger adults regardless of single- or multitasking condition — related
• Multitasking training transferred to untrained working memory and sustained attention tasks in older adults, unlike control training — related
• Training-induced increases in midline frontal theta power correlate with preserved multitasking gains at 6 months and with sustained attention improvement — related
• Multitasking performance on NeuroRacer declines linearly across the adult lifespan from ages 20 to 79 — related