Francesca Garau

I graduated in 2018 with a thesis titled “A Pilot Study on Memory Training in Older Adults.” During my thesis, I developed a metamemory training program to improve memory in older adults (individuals over 64 years of age). My thesis aimed to test whether a 10-session metamemory training program could improve memory performance in older adults and whether these improvements could be maintained over time. We therefore assessed the older adults before the training, immediately afterward, and after 3, 6, and 9 months, examining not only the improvements but also their maintenance over time.

I continued this work during my internship and am continuing it now that I collaborate with the Department of Psychology, where I have won three research grants. In recent years, I have collaborated with the Universities of Milan and Bergamo on a correlational study assessing cognitive aging, comparing Sardinian and Lombard elderly individuals to assess the protective factors that influence healthy aging, including creativity among these assessments.

I have presented the results of my research at several conferences organized by the Italian Society for the Psychology of Aging and am currently working on publishing a scientific article.

I am an expert in administering cognitive training and various cognitive tests and questionnaires.

I qualified as a psychologist in 2020 and have been registered as a psychologist since last year.