Abstract
The main aim of this paper is to present the first results of our study examining whether older adults benefit from individual cognitive training of visual selective attention and working memory using the application Filter It (our version of Change Detection Task (CDT)).Our sample included 62 cognitively normal persons aged 60-75 years (M = 68,84 +-3,85 years), of which 36 were women and with 11-23 years of education (M = 14.44 +-3.24 years). Participants were randomly assigned to experimental (EG) and active control (ACG) groups for individual cognitive training on a tablet.
EG trained with Filter It application (paradigms -Colors and Orientation), where they had to determine the change in stimuli in the presence of nontarget stimuli. ACG trained with application Clouds, where the task is to decide on which side of the screen more stimuli are.
Both groups trained for 6 weeks with the same training frequency and intensity. Psychological assessments included, among other tests, two Filter It paradigms - Colors and Shapes to examine the specific improvement in the task.
For the analysis, we used one-factor ANCOVA and Bayesian analysis.Both training groups did not significantly differ in any demographic parameters nor in pre-test performance. EG significantly improved its performance compared to ACG group in both Filter It paradigms - Colors and Shapes (all p < 0.05).
Thus, our results showed a significant task-specific improvement (Colors) and the so-called nearest transfer effect (Shapes) after the 6-week training regimen with Filter It application. This is in line with previous studies examining effectiveness of CDT training.
The findings justify a further utilization of Filter It as a training task for older adults.