Long-Term Maintenance of Multiple Task Inhibition Practice and Transfer Effects in Older Adults: A 3.5-Year Follow-Up

This study is a follow-up to our previous work (Wilkinson & Yang, 2016a), with an intention to examine the long-term maintenance of inhibition practice benefits and the associated near-near transfer effects over a 3.5-year period in older adults. Thirty-six participants from the original multiple task inhibition practice study (Wilkinson & Yang, 2016a), 18 from the practice and 18 from the control group, returned to complete a single follow-up session on the practice and the near-near transfer tasks. The results revealed that after a 3.5-year delay, older adults were able to retain practice benefits in both deletion (i.e., 2-Back) and restraint (i.e., Go-No Go) tasks. Furthermore, 44-65% of the original near-near transfer benefits were retained across all three inhibitory subfunctions at the follow-up session over baseline performance. The findings further extend the literature on the durability of practice and transfer effects of inhibition in older adults. Specifically, the current study demonstrates the long-term practice maintenance in some inhibitory subfunctions (e.g., deletion and restraint tasks) and highlights the retention of near-near transfer gains following a 3.5-year delay in older adults.