F.A. (Floor) van den Berg, MA

Language Learning Never Gets Old: Foreign language learning to promote cognitive reserve in healthy and Mild Cognitive Impairment seniors

In my PhD project, we assess how the acquisition of new skills (i.e., language learning, learning to play a musical instrument, and participating in a lecture series) affects cognitive functioning in seniors. Specifically, we investigate the effects on the cognitive flexibility and well-being levels of seniors with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or subjective memory complaints vis-à-vis their neurotypical peers. This is achieved through adopting experimental approaches such as eye-tracking, questionnaires and neuropsychological testing. The project's goal is to identify whether the acquisition of new skills in older adulthood can promote cognitive reserve and consequently halt, prevent, or delay (further) cognitive decline.

This project is part of Prof. dr. Merel Keijzer's NWO Vidi project Language Learning Never Gets Old: Foreign language learning as a tool to promote healthy aging (016.Vidi.185.190).