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Facebook could give seniors boost in cognitive function: Study

Written by: QMI Agency
Feb. 22, 2013

REUTERS/Robert Galbraith


Learning how to use Facebook after 65 could give a boost to cognitive function, new research has found.

Researchers at the University of Arizona ran a study of 42 seniors aged 68 to 91 who were broken up into three groups. One group received Facebook training and was asked to post something at least once a day. Another group was taught how to use a private online diary website and asked to make at least one entry a day. The third group was not trained in either medium.

The seniors completed a series of questionnaires and neuropsychological tests before and after the new media training.

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The seniors in the Facebook group performed about 25% better on tasks designed to measure their ability to continuously monitor and add or delete the contents of their working memory after the training than they had before. There was no significant change in performance for those in the other two groups.

 

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