Objective: Systematically review randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of cognitive training on executive functions in healthy older people.
Measures: The outcome measures were related to inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.
Results: Thirty-one trials were included in the systematic review and thirteen trials in the meta-analysis. In the overall analysis, the cognitive training enhanced inhibitory control when measured by the Stroop task (p < .001, d = 1.64) and working memory when measured by the Corsi Block task (p = .002, d = .16). A marginal significance was found for working memory in the Digit Span task - Forward (p = .06, d = .92). However, cognitive training did not enhance inhibitory control when measured by the Go/No-Go task (p = .76, d = .59), working memory when measured by the Digit Span - Backward (p = .72, d = .95) and N-Back (p = .10, d = .26) tasks, and cognitive flexibility when measured by Trail Making - Part B (p = .08, d = .27) and Semantic Fluency (p = .49, d = .06) tasks.
Conclusion: Mixed evidence was found for inhibitory control and working memory; cognitive flexibility showed no evidence of improvement.
Keywords: Older adults; cognitive aging; cognitive training; executive functions; meta-analysis.