Online cognitive stimulation intervention (CSI): A novel approach to improve cognitive functions in healthy older adults

Abstract

Cognitive interventions demonstrate promising evidence for minimizing cognitive decline in older adults yet are often criticized for their lack of ecological validity. We designed a real-life intervention using mobile-based shopping applications over 22 weeks and examined its effects on cognitive function. We recruited 102 healthy Malaysian older adults (M_age = 66.18, SD = 4.95) who were randomly assigned to three conditions: experimental, active control, and passive control. The first two groups had weekly sessions but not the latter. The experimental group completed tasks designed to assess inhibition and working memory-updating using online shopping applications (trained applications) with varying difficulty levels, whereas active control participants freely interacted with the same applications without any training instructions. All groups completed assessment sessions in the baseline, posttest, and a 1-month follow-up, including noncomputerized versions of Stroop, Digit Span, and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, and an untrained application (Tripadvisor) measuring inhibition and working memory-updating. Data were analyzed using Bayesian analysis of variance and multivariate multiple regression. Results showed that the experimental group performed better in the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-3 s compared to the passive control, suggesting training gains in working memory-updating. The experimental group performed better in inhibition and working memory-updating in the untrained application compared to both control groups, indicating a near transfer effect. In summary, our findings provide evidence that cognitive stimulation by tasks using online shopping activities on mobile phones is beneficial for older adults' cognitive function. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).