The effects of language learning on cognitive functioning and psychosocial well-being in cognitively healthy older adults: A semi-blind randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the impact of language learning in comparison to other complex learning activities on cognitive functioning and psychosocial well-being in cognitively healthy, community-dwelling older adults. In a randomized controlled trial, 43 Dutch functionally monolinguals aged 65–78 completed a three-month English course (n = 15), music training (n = 13), or a lecture series (n = 15). Cognitive functioning (global cognition, cognitive flexibility, episodic memory, working memory, verbal fluency, and attention) and psychosocial well-being were assessed before and immediately after the intervention, and at a four-month follow-up. The language learners significantly improved on episodic memory and cognitive flexibility. However, the magnitude of cognitive change did not significantly differ between the language learning and music training conditions, except for a larger positive change in cognitive flexibility for the language learners from pretest to follow-up. Our results suggest that language learning in later life can improve some cognitive functions and fluency in the additional language, but that its unique effects seem limited.

KEYWORDS:

• Cognitive functions
• psychosocial well-being
• language learning
• cognitive training
• randomized controlled trial

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank everyone involved in developing and conducting this study and the participants for devoting their time and effort to participating. In addition, we would like to thank the Leidse Onderwijsinstellingen for providing the training and education environment and study materials.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The analysis scripts and model output that support the findings of this study, are openly available at our DataverseNL entry (https://doi.org/10.34894/SY1URJ). The data sets analyzed in this study are available under restricted access in this repository. Instructions on how to request access to these data sets are provided.

Notes

1. https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/.

2. TMT-B and TMT-B minus TMT-A were very strongly correlated; therefore, only the TMT-B was analyzed.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek [016.Vidi.185.190 6208].