Cognitive plasticity in adulthood and old age: Gauging the generality of cognitive intervention effects
Open accessAbstract
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.
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The lack of within-study true heterogeneity provides evidence for the validity of the transfer distance taxonomy proposed by Noack and colleagues (2009).
“This result supports the validity of Noack et al.'s (2009) taxonomy of transfer distance, which was used here.”
From Working memory training in typically developing children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Noack et al., 2009
A set of several measures is necessary to investigate the effects of working memory training on latent factors representing cognitive skills rather than single tasks.
“A set of several measures is necessary to investigate the effects of WM training on latent factors representing cognitive skills rather than single tasks (Noack et al., 2009;Schmiedek, Lövdén, & Lindenberger, 2010;Shipstead et al., 2012).”
From Working memory training does not enhance older adults' cognitive skills: A comprehensive meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as Noack et al., 2009
Transfer is more likely when trained and untrained activities share many features (near transfer) than when they share few (far transfer).
“First, transfer is much more likely under conditions where trained and untrained activities share many features (near transfer) than few (far transfer, Barnett & Ceci, 2002; Noack, Lövdén, Schmiedek, & Lindenberger, 2009).”
From Working memory training involves learning new skills (2019) · cites this paper as Noack, Lövdén, Schmiedek, & Lindenberger, 2009
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References 168 · Cited by 180
Research works printed but not linked: 11
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- Authors
- Noack, H., Lövdén, M., Schmiedek, F., & Lindenberger, U.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Society (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Noack, Hannes
- Venue
- Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2009-10
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 435-453
- ISSN
- 0922-6028 (ISSN-L)
- 1878-3627
- OpenAlex
- W2145610370
- Cited by
- 180
- References
- 168
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 1.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- cognitive plasticity, cognitive intervention, aging, transfer of training, transfer distance, lifespan development, cognitive aging, intellectual ability, brain aging
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aging, Cognition, Humans, Learning, Middle Aged, Neuronal Plasticity, Transfer, Psychology
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