Automatic and effortful memory processes in elderly persons with organic brain pathology
Article Abstract:
Memory declines are seen both with aging and in dementia, an organic brain disease. It is often difficult to determine to what extent memory declines in an older person are caused by aging versus dementia. Hasher and Zacks proposed a model of memory that contends that there are two types of memory encoding processes, automatic and effortful. They believe that some types of memory encoding are genetically wired (automatic), such as spatial location or frequency of occurrence. The other type of memory encoding requires effort for the information to be encoded. Different disorders may affect one type of memory encoding or the other type, or both types. This study examined both automatic and effortful memory abilities in a group of 30 young adults, a group of 30 healthy elderly adults, and a group of 30 dementia patients. They were presented with a series of photographs in a picture-book format and then tested for indicators of both automatic and effortful memory abilities. No differences were found between the test results of the young adults and the healthy elderly subjects, except that the elderly adults required a longer time to complete the task. The dementia patients showed significant impairment on tests of free recall, recognition, location, and frequency compared with the other two groups. When type and level of impairment were studied in the dementia patients, patterns existed that were able to differentiate among the three types of dementia (multi-infarct dementia, dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and Korsakoff's disease) with an accuracy of 80.8 percent. When test results for the healthy elderly and dementia patients were compared, they correctly identified a subject's group membership with an accuracy of 93.3 percent. These findings indicate that the memory model of Hasher and Sacks may be useful in differentiating among the causes of memory loss. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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The game of bridge as an exercise in working memory and reasoning
Article Abstract:
Previous studies have found that training improves the performance of older adults on tests of inductive reasoning. Results also suggest that a period of practice is often better than specific strategy training, and self-training effects lasted longer. Many activities and hobbies, such as bridge, use the same cognitive skills as those that are usually measured by psychologists. This study of 50 bridge players and 50 nonplayers examined whether the thinking skills gained from playing bridge would transfer to performance on a task used to measure that skill. The bridge players were better than the nonplayers on two tests of working memory and two tests of reasoning, suggesting that abilities that are used frequently as people age will decline more slowly. Although training studies suggest that reasoning skills transfer from one task to another, no evidence exists to support the transfer of working memory skills. When expert bridge players were tested on free-recall of cards, they did better than novice players, but only when the cards were arranged in suits, suggesting that working memory skills are task-specific. This study examined the hypothesis that age-related deterioration of thinking ability is delayed when people take part in activities that require those abilities, emphasizing experience rather than skill. This supposition is supported. Other than bridge players, the only group to show superiority of performance were public speakers. There are two possible conclusions: first, that playing bridge delayed a decline in reasoning and working memory; or second, that the bridge players were an unusually able group who chose to play bridge because of their superior abilities in this area. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1990
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Age differences in memory for concrete and abstract pictures
Article Abstract:
Most studies concerning age-related changes in memory have used verbal materials to test subjects. However, language is a more complex process than vision, and tests involving visual memory may be more appropriate measures. Some research has indicated that memory for complex pictures changes little with aging, while other studies using simple drawings have revealed age differences. Complex pictures provide more content, or concreteness, more detail and greater linguistic meaningfulness. To test the notion that these factors enable the aging memory to recall complex scenes, pictures with various details (complex versus simple) and contents (concrete versus abstract) were shown to 48 subjects. Half the subjects were young, with an average age of 20.3 years, and half were older, with an average age of 68.2 years. Each group was about equally divided between males and females. There were no age differences in recalling complex, real-world, meaningful scenes. However, when detail or content was removed, age differences became apparent. When perceptual details were removed from concrete pictures, recognition by the older group declined considerably. Thus, simple line drawings and abstract, but detailed pictures were not remembered as well by older subjects. Simple, abstract pictures were remembered equally well by both groups. This is probably because the abstract pictures had no meaning, regardless of the amount of detail present. The application of these results to the mental function of older adults is discussed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1990
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