Towards more Effective Working Memory Training for Older Adults

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As working memory decline affects most people during aging, effective training to maintain cognitive functioning is beneficial for both the individual and the health system. Due to their motivational appeal and customizable nature, serious games have the potential to achieve meaningful changes in several areas of functioning. Yet, existing gamified training mostly fails to provide significant improvements. This might be due to the limited use of effective gamification elements, as well as the uninformed selection of a reliable adaptivity component, which is rarely based on current cognitive theories. The aim of the proposed project is it therefore to develop and evaluate a working memory game for older adults, with an improved adaptivity mechanism and adequate gamification elements. The successful completion of this project will provide important insights into the design of gamified training as well as inform cognitive theories and contribute to the well-being of many individuals.