ABSTRACT
Cognitive training programs for older adults span a very wide range of research, from case studies with people with dementia to extensive individual practice of specific information processing skills, and from comprehensive group training programs for healthy seniors to broad approaches that increase cognitive engagement. A primary target of these cognitive interventions is memory improvement. Improved memory is a key aim for several reasons. Foremost, as an integral process involved in everyday experience, memory capacity may affect older individuals’ ability to live independently (Fisher, 2012; Montegjo, Montenegro, Fernández, & Maestú, 2012; Stine-Morrow & Basak, 2011). Older adults themselves recognize the importance of memory, and have fears concerning memory loss (Dark-Freudeman, West, & Viverito, 2006). In part, these fears are realistic because cross-sectional and longitudinal studies report age-related declines in working memory, learning of new associations (see Chapter 3), and encoding of new long-term memories (Mather, 2010; McDaniel, Einstein, & Jacoby, 2008). Thus, memory is emphasized in training because it is essential, valued, and at risk for decline.
