This study provides an introduction to, and overview of, several
papers that resulted from a randomized control trial that evaluated a new
cognitive rehabilitation protocol. The program was designed to improve
general strategic abilities in ways that would be expressed in a broad
range of functional domains. The trial, which was conducted on a sample of
older adults who had experienced normal age-related cognitive decline,
assessed performance in the following domains: memory, goal management,
and psychosocial status. The general rationale for the trial, the overall
experimental design, and the approach to statistical analyses that are
relevant to each paper are described here. The results for each functional
domain are reported in separate papers in this series (JINS,
2007, 13, 120–131.)