Booster Sessions Enhance the Long-Term Effectiveness of Spaced Retrieval in Older Adults with Probable Alzheimer's Disease

Six older adults with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) were trained to recall a name-face association using the spaced retrieval technique. In this study, we retested these persons in a 6-month follow-up program. For half of the participants, three booster sessions were administered at 6, 12, and 18 weeks after original training to promote long-term retention of the name face association. Results yielded a mnemonic benefit of the booster sessions at retest. Participants were successful in transferring this association to the actual person in the target photograph. These data confirmed the positive effect of spaced retrieval on recall of a name-face association over a 6-month interval. Implications for memory remediation in cognitively impaired older adults are considered.