Finally, the issue of generalization and long-term benefits
should be discussed. The current intervention focused
on training specific strategies to be applied with
specific material that was subsequently used in the evaluation.
Thus, the effect found here is specific to the memory
material that is tested in this particular context. We
would not expect generalization on tasks that are not
amenable to the training strategies that were taught in the
present study. However, we expect generalization on tasks
of daily life that are amenable to the particular strategies
used here. To date, there is no functional scale that directly
addresses memory activities amenable to those
strategies. We have attempted to measure whether training
can generalize to relevant activities in daily life by
using a self-assessment memory questionnaire and we
have noted some positive effects. However, there may be
other ways to assess generalization. For example, future
studies could inquire about the frequency of use of those
strategies in daily life or require written records of their
frequency and efficacy. One other possibility would be to
use quality of life scales or measures of change scales with
the participants or their spouses. The issue of generalization
is critical to address in future studies. Finally, another
limitation is that this is a short-term study and we
have no indications on the long-term efficacy of the intervention.
Long-term effects of a similar intervention
have been reported in healthy older adults [9, 10, 12] .
However, testing long-term maintenance of the benefits
found in MCI is crucial because of the developmental nature
of this condition.