1. Cognitive Benefits of Learning Additional Languages in Old Adulthood? Insights from an Intensive Longitudinal Intervention Study
- Author
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Kliesch, Maria, Pfenninger, Simone, Wieling, Martijn, Stark, Elisabeth, Meyer, Martin, University of Zurich, and Computational Linguistics
- Subjects
cognition ,Linguistics and Language ,longitudinal ,470 Latin & Italic languages ,410 Linguistics ,UFSP13-4 Dynamics of Healthy Aging ,liri Linguistic Research Infrastructure (LiRI) ,050105 experimental psychology ,Language and Linguistics ,language learning ,older learners ,working memory ,11551 Zurich Center for Linguistics ,generalized additive models ,cognitive training ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,individual differences ,060201 languages & linguistics ,10093 Institute of Psychology ,Communication ,05 social sciences ,aging ,06 humanities and the arts ,800 Literature, rhetoric & criticism ,GAM ,GAMM ,460 Spanish & Portuguese languages ,plasticity ,0602 languages and literature ,ISLE Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution ,450 Italian, Romanian & related languages ,440 French & related languages ,10103 Institute of Romance Studies - Abstract
Second language (L2) learning has been promoted as a promising intervention to stave off age-related cognitive decline. While previous studies based on mean trends showed inconclusive results, this study is the first to investigate nonlinear cognitive trajectories across a 30-week training period. German-speaking older participants (aged 64–75 years) enrolled for a Spanish course, strategy game training (active control) or movie screenings (passive control). We assessed cognitive performance in working memory, alertness, divided attention, and verbal fluency on a weekly basis. Trajectories were modeled using Generalized Additive Mixed Models to account for temporally limited transfer effects and intra-individual variation in cognitive performance. Our results provide no evidence of cognitive improvement differing between the Spanish and either of the control groups during any phase of the training period. We did, however, observe an effect of baseline cognition, such that individuals with low cognitive baselines increased their performance more in the L2 group than comparable individuals in the control groups. We discuss these findings against the backdrop of the cognitive training literature and Complex Dynamic Systems Theory.
- Published
- 2022
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