Cognition
Conditions
Interventions
Group 1: Language learning group: Language learners will attend face-to-face group-based Spanish classes for beginners for 1.5 hours a day, five days a week for a total of three weeks.
Group 2: Waitin
Sponsors
Netzwerk Alternsforschung der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
65 Years to 80 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: - German mother tongue - Monolingual (no fluency and more than occasional use of any other language according to self-disclosure; Additional information: Evaluation of monolingualism according to LSBQ score [Bialystok et al., 2018]) - Living independently - No full-time employment (secondary employment of a maximum of 50% permitted) - To be motivated to effectively participate in the study and to sign the consent form in agreement with the local ethic committee
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: - A1 or higher level of Spanish according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - Good or better knowledge of Romanic languages (Italian, French, Latin, Portuguese) according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - Below-average cognitive performance according to age (CFD S1 from Schuhfried GmbH: No subtest z = -1.5 [PR = 6]) - Impaired or uncorrected vision - Colour blindness - Impaired hearing - Self-reported current or previous neurological disease including stroke, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, encephalitis) - Self-reported current or previous mental disorder including anxiety disorder, depression, schizophrenia, alcohol or substance dependence - Loss of consciousness for more than five minutes - Current musical activity for more than five hours per week - Medication known to interfere with cognitive functions within the last six months before the start of the study - Major surgery within the last month before the start of the study - Inclusion in another psychological or biomedical study from pre- to follow-up assessment - Other restrictions that do not allow participation in the planned assessments and intervention
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Difference between pre- and post-assessment after the language course or a waiting period of three weeks between the language learning group and the waiting list control group in naming interference (STROOP) and executive attention (WAFG). | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Difference between pre- and post-assessment after cessation of the language course or a waiting period of three weeks between the language learning group and the waiting list control group in other cognitive functions than STROOP reading interference and WAFG: INHIB Response Inhibition S13: Go/Nogo, STROOP interference test according to Stroop S7 - reading interference, NBV N-Back verbal 2-back (S1), 3-back (S3); SWITCH Task Switching S1, TMT-L Trail Making Test B - Langsteinbacher Version S2, WIWO Vienna Verbal Fluency Test S2, S4 (Vienna Test System, Schuhfried GmbH); Digit Span Backward (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale [WAIS-IV]; Petermann, 2012) - Attention: WAFA Alertness S1; WAFG Divided Attention SE, TMT-L Trail Making Test A - Langsteinbacher Version S2 (Vienna Test System, Schuhfried GmbH); Digit Span Forwards (WAIS-IV; Petermann, 2012) Difference between pre- and three-months follow-up examination after the language course or the waiting period of three weeks between the language learning group and the waiting list control group in the cognitive domains named above. Subgroup analysis for the language learning group: Are effects of foreign language learning on primary outcome measures (STROOP naming interference and WAFG) dependent on different levels of 3) Cognitive Reserve (Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire [CRIq]; Nucci, Mapelli & Mondini, 2012) and 4) foreign language knowledge and usage (Language and Social Background questionnaire [LSBQ]; Anderson et al., 2018)? Subgroup analysis for the waiting list control group: Changes in the two primary outcomes (STROOP naming interference and WAFG) for the waiting control group after completion of the language course compared to the difference between pre- and post-assessment? | — |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Public ContactJudith Grossmann
Netzwerk Alternsforschung der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Outcome results
None listed