Table 33: Summary of the 2 Randomized Controlled Trials.

Study/Year/Country	Type of Study	Patients	Objective	Outcomes	Results
Ball et al. (75) 2002 United States	RCT Single blind 4 arms 2 year follow-up Intervention conducted in small group settings in ten 60–75 min sessions over 5–6 weeks.	N=2,802 Patients had good cognitive/functional status at enrollment Mean age (SD) = 73.6 (5.9) Range 65–94 years Age groups: 65–74 years 60.1% 75–84 years 35.0% >85 years 4.9%	To evaluate whether 3 cognitive training interventions (memory, speed of processing, reasoning) improve mental abilities and daily functioning in older independent living adults Training lasted 10 sessions for each group	Basic measures of cognition and on measures of cognitively demanding daily activities (e.g., food preparation, driving, medication use, financial management)	Tests of cognitive abilities given immediately after training showed significant improvement on the particular cognitive skill on which the individual had been trained, but no transfer to the other 2 cognitive domains. No significant training effects on everyday function were detected at 2 years.
Willis et al. (76) 2006 United States	RCT Single blind 4 arms 5-year follow-up	67% completed 5 year follow-up	To determine effects of cognitive training on daily function and durability of training on cognitive abilities	Self-reported and performance based measures of daily function and cognitive abilities	Training on cognitive abilities showed significant improvement on particular cognitive skill on which person was trained. No transfer to other domains. Training on functional abilities (IADLs; everyday problem solving; everyday speed of processing). No significant differences in functional outcomes for memory or speed processing training. Reasoning significantly improved IADL, but not the other 2 abilities)

IADL, instrumental activities of daily living; RCT, randomized controlled trial; SD, standard deviation.