As one of the important executive functions, memory updating has close correlation with working memory and fluid intelligence. Further studies indicate the age-related decline of memory updating is the main cause of cognitive aging, which is in consistent with executive decline hypothesis. This study was designed to explore the plasticity and transferability of working memory updating. A sample of healthy older adults received 12 training sessions over one month, each session lasted for 45 min to 1 hour (three sessions per week), and a battery of cognitive tests were administrated at pretest, posttest (immediately after completion of training), and follow-up test (15 weeks after completion of training) to assess training gains, potential transfer effects and maintenance effects. Digit updating paradigm and self-designed chess game were adopted for adaptive training, consisting of various difficulty degrees; Digit updating task (3-digits-recalled and 4- digits recalled) were used to assess the training gains during each session; near transfer tasks included color updating, color dots updating which were similar to trained tasks, and keep track, 2-back task which were dissimilar to trained tasks; far transfer tasks included working memory and fluid intelligence which have close correlation with updating, and another two measured cognitive domains: processing speed and episodic memory, according to dimensions of general intelligence. The results indicated that: 1) trained elderly showed substantial improvement on the criterion tasks immediately after training relative to controls, indicating plasticity of memory updating exists. 2) training gains could transfer to color updating and color dots updating task but not to keep track and 2-back task, indicating near transfer effects were modulated by task similarity. 3) the gains of updating training cannot be generalized to general intelligence performance of older adults, there was no far transfer to working memory, fluid intelligence, processing speed and episodic memory. 4) training effect and near transfer effect on color updating can be maintained over 15 weeks.
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