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Table 1 Eligibility criteria for participation

From: Effects of foreign language learning on executive functions in healthy older adults: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Inclusion criteria

Aged between 65 and 80 years

Native language German

Living independently

Motivated to participate; Signing written informed consent for study participation confirmed by the local ethics committee

Exclusion criteria

Spanish level ≥ A1.1 according to the Joint European Reference Frame for Languages or having already attended a regular Spanish course for beginners (≥ 18 h of teaching)

Bilingualism or multilingualism (def.: fluent command [level ≥ C1 as defined by questions derived from the Joint European Reference Frame for Languages] and frequent usage of any foreign language)

Any Romanic language (French, Italian, Latin, Portuguese) level ≥ B1 (as defined by questions derived from the Joint European Reference Frame for Languages)

Cognitive functions below cut-off (Cognitive Functions Dementia [CFD] [34, 35]: no subtest z ≤ − 1.5 [36]) according to age and where possible additionally to sex and education

Impaired/not-corrected vision

Colour blindness

Wearing a hearing aid or impaired sense of hearing as measured by the whispered voice test [37]

Part-time employment with 20 or more hours of working activity per week

Self-reported former or current neurological disease (e.g. stroke, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, encephalitis, cerebral tumour)

Self-reported current/diagnosed mental health disorder (e.g. anxiety disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism or other addiction)

Transient loss of consciousness for more than five minutes

Current musical activity for more than five hours per week

Psychotropic medication within the last six months before the start of the study

Surgery within the last month before the start of the study

Other constraints hindering attendance at both the assessments and intervention appointments