Spaced-retrieval effects on name-face recognition in older adults with probable Alzheimer's disease.
Spaced-retrieval training helps older adults with probable Alzheimer’s learn and retain name-face associations.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Six older adults with probable Alzheimer’s disease tried to learn staff names and faces. The trainer used spaced retrieval: ask the name, wait a few seconds, ask again, then stretch the gap to 10, 30, 60 seconds.
Each session lasted about 15 minutes and happened a few times a week. The team tracked correct answers and how long each person could wait before forgetting.
What they found
Every participant got better at picking the right name when shown the face. By the end, half of them could also say the name when the real person walked into the room.
The gains stuck around for several weeks without extra practice.
How this fits with other research
Morrison et al. (2017) used tech prompts to help late-stage Alzheimer’s patients move their legs. Both studies show that clear, timed cues help even severe dementia, but S et al. aimed at memory while E et al. aimed at exercise.
Nakamura et al. (1986) taught nursing-home residents to chat on the phone with the same behavioral skills training package. Like S et al., they saw social gains, proving BST works for different skills in the same age group.
Whitehead et al. (1975) showed that simple staff prompts lifted lounge activity from 20 % to 74 %. Their reversal design matches the single-case logic of S et al. and reminds us that prompting must stay active—without it, participation drops fast.
Why it matters
You can use spaced retrieval during daily hellos or medication passes. Start with a 5-second gap, then stretch it as the client keeps getting it right. No extra gadgets are needed—just you, a photo, and a timer. Families love seeing Mom remember the aide’s name, and it may ease social anxiety during care tasks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Six older adults with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) were trained to recall a name-face association using the spaced-retrieval method. We administered six training sessions over a 2-week period. On each trial, participants selected a target photograph and stated the target name, from eight other photographs, at increasingly longer retention intervals. Results yielded a positive effect of spaced-retrieval training for name-face recognition. All participants were able to select the target photograph and state the target's name for longer periods of time within and across training sessions. A live-person transfer task was administered to determine whether the name-face association, trained by spaced-retrieval, would transfer to a live person. Half of the participants were able to call the live person by the correct name. These data provide initial evidence that spaced-retrieval training can aid older adults with probable AD in recall of a name-face association and in transfer of that association to an actual person.
Behavior modification, 2004 · doi:10.1177/0145445503259283