Training effects on intelligence of older persons.

In the present study, we tried to answer two main questions: (1) do the elderly of low educational level improve their performance in ability tests when they are trained in inductive reasoning, spatial orientation, or everyday problem solving? (2) If such training were effective, what will the level of training transfer be? Ninety elderly participated in this study (36 women, 54 men; mean age = 67.87); 93.2% of them had less than 4 years of education. The study was based on an experimental-control group design with three main parts: pre-test, cognitive training (three training conditions - Inductive Reasoning, Spatial Orientation and Everyday Problem Solving vs. placebo control) and two post-tests with 3 months of interval. The results indicate that the elderly of low educational level improve their performance both in the domain and transfer test in two of the three training conditions: inductive reasoning and spatial orientation. Results are discussed in relation to other topics related to research studies.