VOA慢速英語:心理培訓(xùn)讓老年人受益良久

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語健康報道。

Some kinds of mental skills naturally decrease as people get older. Yet research seems to show that some training can improve such skills. A recently published study also appears to demonstrate that the good effects of training can last for many years after that training has ended.

隨著人們年齡的增長，一些心智能力會自然下降。然而研究似乎表明一些訓(xùn)練可以改善這類能力。最近發(fā)表的一份研究似乎也證實，在這種訓(xùn)練結(jié)束后其效果還可以持續(xù)很多年。

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland wanted to learn how long memory and thinking skills would last in older people who trained to keep them. The people were part of the ten-year research project. They were taught methods meant to improve their memory, thinking and ability to perform everyday tasks.

美國馬里蘭州約翰·霍普金斯大學(xué)的研究人員想要搞清楚，接受過訓(xùn)練的老年人的記憶和思維能力可以維持多久。這些人是一項為期十年的研究項目一部分。他們被傳授了旨在改善記憶、思維和日常行為能力的方法。

More than 2,800 volunteered for the study called ACTIVE - short for Advanced (Cognitive) Training for Independent and Vital Elderly. Most studied when they were more than 70 years old.

2800多人志愿參與了這項名為ACTIVE的研究，它的全稱是老年個體高級認知訓(xùn)練，其中多數(shù)被研究者年齡在70歲以上。

The volunteers took one of several short training classes meant to help them keep their mental abilities. One class trained participants in skills including how to remember word lists. Another group trained in reasoning. A third group received help with speed-of-processing - speed of receiving and understanding information. A fourth group - the control group did not get any training.

志愿者參加了旨在幫助他們保持心智能力的幾項簡短訓(xùn)練課程中的一項。其中一項課程訓(xùn)練了參與者的能力，包括如何記憶單詞列表;另一組訓(xùn)練了推理;第三組接受了快速處理的幫助，即快速接受和理解信息。第四組作為對照組沒有得到任何訓(xùn)練。

Earlier results had established that the training helped the participants for up to five years. Now, lead study writer George Rebok says, the research showed most of the training remained effective a full ten years later.

先前的研究結(jié)果早已證實，這種訓(xùn)練幫助了參與者長達5年之久。而現(xiàn)在，研究主要作者喬治·里博克(George Rebok)表示，該研究表明，大部分訓(xùn)練在整整十年后仍然有效。

Professor Rebok and his team found that the people trained in reasoning and speed-of-processing did better on tests than the control group.

里博克教授和他的團隊發(fā)現(xiàn)，接受了推理和快速處理訓(xùn)練的人們在各項測試中要優(yōu)于對照組。

"We are wondering whether those effects which endured over time would still be there ten years following the training, and in fact, that's exactly what we found."

里博克說，“我們想知道訓(xùn)練的持久影響在十年后是否還存在。而事實上，這正是我們的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)。”

The effect on memory, however, seemed not to last as long. Still, the old people in any of the three classes generally reported less difficulty in performing daily activities than the control group. The total training time for the older people was between 10 and 15 hours.

然而訓(xùn)練對記憶的影響似乎持續(xù)時間不長。不過，參加三項訓(xùn)練課程中任何一項的老人在執(zhí)行日常行為上比對照組更少遇到困難。老年人培訓(xùn)總共的時間在10到15小時之間。

Professor Rebort and his team are now considering ways to provide such training for lower cost.

里博克教授和他的團隊目前正在考慮以更低成本提供這類訓(xùn)練的各種方法。

"We are trying to make the training more broadly available. For example, we have a grant right now from the National Institute on Aging to try to make a web-based version of the ACTIVE memory training and put the training online."

他說，“我們正試圖讓這種訓(xùn)練更加普及。例如，我們目前獲得了美國老齡問題研究所的撥款，試圖做一個基于網(wǎng)頁版本的ACTIVE記憶訓(xùn)練，并將其放到網(wǎng)上。”

One question still to be studied is how only a few hours of training can still be effective after ten years. The study appears in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

還有待研究的一個問題是，僅僅數(shù)小時的訓(xùn)練如何在十年之后還能有效?該研究發(fā)表在《美國老年病協(xié)會雜志》上。