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Hardcastle C, Kraft JN, Hausman HK, O'Shea A, Albizu A, Evangelista ND, Boutzoukas EM, Van Etten EJ, Bharadwaj PK, Song H, Smith SG, Porges E, DeKosky ST, Hishaw GA, Wu SS, Marsiske M, Cohen R, Alexander GE, Woods AJ. Learning ratio performance on a brief visual learning and memory test moderates cognitive training gains in Double Decision task in healthy older adults. GeroScience 2024; 46:3929-3943. [PMID: 38457007 PMCID: PMC11226577 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01115-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Cognitive training using a visual speed-of-processing task, called the Useful Field of View (UFOV) task, reduced dementia risk and reduced decline in activities of daily living at a 10-year follow-up in older adults. However, there was variability in the achievement of cognitive gains after cognitive training across studies, suggesting moderating factors. Learning trials of visual and verbal learning tasks recruit similar cognitive abilities and have overlapping neural correlates with speed-of-processing/working memory tasks and therefore could serve as potential moderators of cognitive training gains. This study explored the association between the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) learning with a commercial UFOV task called Double Decision. Through a secondary analysis of a clinical trial, we assessed the moderation of HVLT-R and BVMT-R learning on Double Decision improvement after a 3-month speed-of-processing/attention and working memory cognitive training intervention in a sample of 75 cognitively healthy older adults. Multiple linear regressions showed that better baseline Double Decision performance was significantly associated with better BVMT-R learning (β = - .303). This association was not significant for HVLT-R learning (β = - .142). Moderation analysis showed that those with poorer BVMT-R learning improved the most on the Double Decision task after cognitive training. This suggests that healthy older adults who perform below expectations on cognitive tasks related to the training task may show the greatest training gains. Future cognitive training research studying visual speed-of-processing interventions should account for differing levels of visuospatial learning at baseline, as this could impact the magnitude of training outcomes and efficacy of the intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheshire Hardcastle
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jessica N Kraft
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Hanna K Hausman
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Andrew O'Shea
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Alejandro Albizu
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Nicole D Evangelista
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Emanuel M Boutzoukas
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Emily J Van Etten
- Department of Psychology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Pradyumna K Bharadwaj
- Department of Psychology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Hyun Song
- Department of Psychology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Samantha G Smith
- Department of Psychology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Eric Porges
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Steven T DeKosky
- Department of Neurology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Georg A Hishaw
- Department Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Samuel S Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health and Health Professions, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Michael Marsiske
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ronald Cohen
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Gene E Alexander
- Department of Psychology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Physiological Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, and BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona and Arizona Alzheimer's Disease Consortium, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Adam J Woods
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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2
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Owens JH, Fiala J, Jones RN, Marsiske M. The Mediating Effects of Education and Occupational Complexity Between Race and Longitudinal Change in Late Life Cognition in ACTIVE. Res Aging 2024:1640275241248825. [PMID: 38648193 DOI: 10.1177/01640275241248825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
This study examined educational and occupational inequality as two aspects of social determinants of health that might mediate the longitudinal relationship between racialization and late life cognitive level and change. Participants were 2371 individuals racialized as Black and White from the ACTIVE study who provided occupational data. Data were analyzed from baseline and five assessments over 10-years using structural equation modeling. Black/White race served as the predictor, occupational complexity (OC) and years of education as mediators, and cognitive (memory, reasoning, and speed of processing) intercept, linear slope, and quadratic slope as the dependent variables. Black/White race showed significant indirect associations through education and OC on level of performance in cognition, linear change in reasoning and memory, and quadratic change in reasoning. Education and OC accounted for 11-16% of the association between race and cognitive level and represent modifiable social determinants of health that are associated with disparities in cognitive aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua H Owens
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jacob Fiala
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Richard N Jones
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, USA
| | - Michael Marsiske
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Hammers DB, Suhrie K, Dixon A, Gradwohl BD, Archibald ZG, King JB, Spencer RJ, Duff K, Hoffman JM. Relationship between a novel learning slope metric and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2022; 29:799-819. [PMID: 33952156 PMCID: PMC8568738 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2021.1919984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The Learning Ratio (LR) is a novel learning score examining the proportion of information learned over successive learning trials relative to information available to be learned. Validation is warranted to understand LR's sensitivity to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. One-hundred twenty-three participants across the AD continuum underwent memory assessment, quantitative brain imaging, and genetic analysis. LR scores were calculated from the HVLT-R, BVMT-R, RBANS List Learning, and RBANS Story Memory, and compared to total hippocampal volumes,18F-Flutemetamol composite SUVR uptake, and APOE ε4 status. Lower LR scores were consistently associated with smaller total hippocampal volumes, greater cerebral β-amyloid deposition, and APOE ε4 positivity. This LR score outperformed a traditional learning slope calculation in all analyses. LR is sensitive to AD pathology along the AD continuum - more so than a traditional raw learning score - and reducing the competition between the first trial and subsequent trials can better depict learning capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin B. Hammers
- Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging, and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Kayla Suhrie
- Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging, and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Ava Dixon
- Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging, and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Brian D. Gradwohl
- Mercy Health Hauenstein Neurosciences, Mercy Health, Muskegon, MI, USA
| | - Zane G. Archibald
- Center for Quantitative Cancer Imaging, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jace B. King
- Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research, Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, 729 Arapeen Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Robert J. Spencer
- Mental Health Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor MI, USA
- Michigan Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychology Section, Ann Arbor MI, USA
| | - Kevin Duff
- Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging, and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - John M. Hoffman
- Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging, and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Center for Quantitative Cancer Imaging, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Karakaş S, Erdoğan Bakar E, Doğutepe E, Can H, Kaskatı T. Differentiation of memory processing stages and effect of demographic variables with alternative scoring approaches to the Rey auditory verbal learning test. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2022; 44:109-133. [PMID: 35670663 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2022.2080186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is the third most popular verbal memory test and the tenth most frequently used neuropsychological test. The original scoring system of RAVLT does not differentiate stages of memory processing, but a recently developed composite scoring system has this potential. The objectives were to compare the two systems in terms of their capacity to differentiate the stages of memory processing and to study the effect of demographic variables on the learning trials (T) of the Turkish form of RAVLT (T-RAVLT). METHOD The sample consisted of 600 Caucasian Turkic adults, who were categorized into three levels of age, three levels of education, and two levels of gender. Individual administration of T-RAVLT was performed using the standard procedures of RAVLT. RESULTS The components in the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and latent variables in the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the original scores were consistent with sequentially ordered T-RAVLT stages. Demographic variables (age, education, and gender) affected performances in all of the learning trials. The composite scores revealed retrieval and retention as separate components, but these scores could not be predicted from the relevant T-RAVLT scores. CONCLUSIONS Findings recommend a combined utilization of the two scoring systems: The original system to provide scores on the performance at each stage of T-RAVLT and the combined system to provide separate scores on learning, retention, and retrieval, the three stages of memory processing. A selective effect of demographic variables on T1 was not observed, indicating a need for cross-cultural studies that are meticulously controlled for age and education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sirel Karakaş
- Department of Psychology, Doğuş University, Istanbul, Turkey.,Neurometrika Medical Technologies Research and Development Limited Liability Company, Neurometrika Medical Technologies R&D LLC, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Elvin Doğutepe
- Department of Psychology, Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Handan Can
- Department of Psychology, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey
| | - Tolga Kaskatı
- BYS Group Research and Development Limited Liability Company, BYS Group, Ankara, Turkey
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5
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John SE, Ritter A, Wong C, Parks CM. The roles of executive functioning, simple attention, and medial temporal lobes in early learning, late learning, and delayed recall. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2022; 29:400-417. [PMID: 34919026 PMCID: PMC8960335 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2021.2016583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Fractionating performance of a verbal list-learning test can provide a nuanced interpretation of the relationship between brain networks and learning and memory abilities. Within older adult samples, including those with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, cortical volumes for attention and executive functioning networks correlate more strongly with neuropsychological performance measures of early learning trials relative to late learning and delayed recall. In contrast, medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures, such as the hippocampus, are more strongly correlated to performance on late learning and delayed recall measures relative to early learning. We sought to extend these findings by evaluating the contributions of simple attention, executive function (EF), and MTL structures to learning and recall in a cognitively heterogeneous sample of older adults that included healthy controls (n = 54), adults with MCI (n = 63), and those with dementia (n = 13). We used canonical correlation analyses to test the hypotheses that the contributions of EF, simple attention, and the MTL to verbal memory would differ across phases of learning and recall. Results showed that relationships between the MTL and memory were the only ones to demonstrate a graded pattern of association, ranging from r = .46 to .57 across early learning, late learning, and delayed recall. Simple attention and EF were both significantly and moderately related to learning and recall, but those relationships did not vary across phases as hypothesized. We explore alternative interpretations for our discrepant findings, including the influence of sample characteristics and methodology, advocating for multivariate approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha E. John
- Department of Brain Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Corresponding author: Samantha E. John, PhD, , (702) 895-4580
| | - Aaron Ritter
- Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, Nevada
| | - Christina Wong
- Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, Nevada
| | - Colleen M. Parks
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
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6
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Deifelt Streese C, Manzel K, Wu Z, Tranel D. Lateralized differences for verbal learning across trials in temporal lobe epilepsy are not affected by surgical intervention. Epilepsy Behav 2022; 128:108561. [PMID: 35065396 PMCID: PMC8898285 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2022.108561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
This research aimed to broaden understanding of learning verbal material in participants with left- and right-sided mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). We modeled word list-learning to determine how anterior temporal lobe resection affects verbal learning. Verbal learning (across trials) was assessed using the first five trials of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) in 128 participants with MTLE. Mixedeffects modeling was used to determine whether learning curves differed between participants with left- and right-sided MTLE pre- and post- anterior temporal lobe resection. Laterality of MTLE had a significant effect on both the model intercept and the linear slope, whereby participants with left-sided MTLE retained fewer words on both the first trial and on each subsequent trial than participants with right-sided MTLE; and this held regardless of anterior temporal lobe resection status (t(117) = -3.516, p < .001; t(120.50) = -2.049, p = .042, for intercept and linear slope, respectively). There were no significant differences in the learning curves after anterior temporal lobe resection surgery in either left- or right-sided MTLE. Our findings suggest that acquisition of verbal information may be especially impaired in patients with left-sided MTLE. Further, we show that verbal learning across trials was not affected by surgical intervention. This finding contributes to the broader understanding of the impacts of anterior temporal lobe resection on verbal memory function, and has important implications for the clinical management and surgical planning for patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Deifelt Streese
- Department of Neurosurgery, Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Kenneth Manzel
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Zhengyuan Wu
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Daniel Tranel
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, 340 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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Bender AR, Brandmaier AM, Düzel S, Keresztes A, Pasternak O, Lindenberger U, Kühn S. Hippocampal Subfields and Limbic White Matter Jointly Predict Learning Rate in Older Adults. Cereb Cortex 2021; 30:2465-2477. [PMID: 31800016 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related memory impairments have been linked to differences in structural brain parameters, including cerebral white matter (WM) microstructure and hippocampal (HC) volume, but their combined influences are rarely investigated. In a population-based sample of 337 older participants aged 61-82 years (Mage = 69.66, SDage = 3.92 years), we modeled the independent and joint effects of limbic WM microstructure and HC subfield volumes on verbal learning. Participants completed a verbal learning task of recall over five repeated trials and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including structural and diffusion scans. We segmented three HC subregions on high-resolution MRI data and sampled mean fractional anisotropy (FA) from bilateral limbic WM tracts identified via deterministic fiber tractography. Using structural equation modeling, we evaluated the associations between learning rate and latent factors representing FA sampled from limbic WM tracts, and HC subfield volumes, and their latent interaction. Results showed limbic WM and the interaction of HC and WM-but not HC volume alone-predicted verbal learning rates. Model decomposition revealed HC volume is only positively associated with learning rate in individuals with higher WM anisotropy. We conclude that the structural characteristics of limbic WM regions and HC volume jointly contribute to verbal learning in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Bender
- Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Neurology and Ophthalmology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.,Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas M Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, D-14195 Berlin, Germany and London, UK WC1B 5EH
| | - Sandra Düzel
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Attila Keresztes
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.,Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary.,Faculty of Education and Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1053 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ofer Pasternak
- Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, D-14195 Berlin, Germany and London, UK WC1B 5EH.,European University Institute, I-50014. San Domenico di Fiesole, Italy
| | - Simone Kühn
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
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Matko K, Sedlmeier P, Bringmann HC. Differential Effects of Ethical Education, Physical Hatha Yoga, and Mantra Meditation on Well-Being and Stress in Healthy Participants-An Experimental Single-Case Study. Front Psychol 2021; 12:672301. [PMID: 34421729 PMCID: PMC8375679 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.672301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditionally, yoga is a multicomponent practice consisting of postures, breathing techniques, meditation, mantras, and ethics. To date, only a few studies have tried to dismantle the effects of each of these components and their combinations. To fill this gap, we examined the incremental effects of ethical education and physical Hatha yoga on mantra meditation using a single-case multiple-baseline design. This study was part of a project evaluating the new mind-body program Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification. Fifty-seven healthy participants with no regular yoga or meditation practice were randomly assigned to three baselines (7, 14, and 21 days) and four conditions using a random number generator. The conditions were mantra meditation alone (MA), meditation plus physical yoga (MY), meditation plus ethical education (ME), and meditation plus yoga and ethical education (MYE). All the interventions lasted for 8 weeks and were run consecutively according to baseline length. During the baseline and treatment phases, participants received daily questionnaires measuring their well-being (WHO-5 Well-Being Index), stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and subjective experiences. Forty-two participants completed the treatment and were entered in the analyses. We analyzed our data using visual inspection, effect size estimation (Tau-U), and multilevel modeling. Almost all participants showed a longitudinal increase in well-being. Regarding between-group differences, participants who received ethical education exhibited the largest increases in well-being (Tau-U = 0.30/0.23 for ME/MYE), followed by participants in the MY condition (Tau-U = 0.12). Conversely, participants in the MA condition showed no change (Tau-U = 0.07). There was a tendency for the combined treatments to decrease stress. This tendency was strongest in the MY condition (Tau-U = -0.40) and reversed in the MA condition (Tau-U = 0.17). These results emphasize the incremental and differential effects of practicing meditation in combination with other practices from the eight-fold yoga path. This approach is valuable for better understanding the multifaceted practice of yoga. Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT04252976.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Matko
- Department of Psychology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Peter Sedlmeier
- Department of Psychology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Holger C. Bringmann
- Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Diakoniekliniken Zschadrass, Colditz, Germany
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9
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Armstrong NM, Andrews RM, Gross AL, Varma VR, Xue QL, Carlson MC. The association of a novel cognitive frailty index and physical functioning in older at-risk adults. Aging Ment Health 2020; 24:129-136. [PMID: 30668137 PMCID: PMC6646107 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2018.1531377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: Cognitive frailty is a state at the lower end of the continuum of cognitive resilience in which one is at elevated risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. Metrics of a newly developed Cognitive Frailty Index (CFI) were examined for their association with objective functional limitations.Methods: We used baseline data from 607 participants from the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial with measures on the CFI, a computerized Stroop test, and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score ≤9. Multivariable log-binomial regression models were used to evaluate the associations of CFI metrics (mean reaction time (RT) for total, first-half and second-half trials per condition) with the SPPB. Latent growth models were used to create additional CFI metrics of initial level (intercept) and change (slope) in RT across accurate trials by easy (Color-X) and difficult (Color-Word) conditions. Models were adjusted for race, sex, age, income, major morbidities, depressive symptoms, self-reported health, and Stroop interference (for Color-Word condition only).Results: All CFI RT metrics were associated with SPPB <9, yet latent growth model approaches were most informative. Initial levels of performance on easy (Risk Ratio, [RR] = 1.24; 95% Confidence Interval, [CI]: 1.03, 1.49) and difficult conditions (RR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.41), not rates of learning (slope) (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.81, 1.45 and RR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.27 respectively), were associated with worse physical functioning.Conclusions: The association between the CFI and physical functioning demonstrates the interplay of cognitive frailty and worse objective mobility within a sociodemographic at-risk sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M. Armstrong
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ryan M. Andrews
- Departments of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Departments of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alden L. Gross
- Departments of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Departments of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vijay R. Varma
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Qian-Li Xue
- Departments of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Departments of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michelle C. Carlson
- Departments of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Departments of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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10
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Webber TA, Marceaux JC, Critchfield EA, Soble JR. Relative impacts of mild and major neurocognitive disorder on rate of verbal learning acquisition. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2019; 34:803-808. [PMID: 30475938 DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acy089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The California Verbal Learning Test-second edition (CVLT-II) learning slope index may signal the presence of cognitive impairment, though the relative impacts of mild (MiND) and major (MaND) neurocognitive disorders on the rate of verbal learning acquisition remain unknown. METHODS Latent intercept-only, linear, quadratic, and exponential models were fit to raw scores for the five CVLT-II learning trials of 197 veterans. Dummy-coded variables reflecting MiND and MaND predicted the growth factors. RESULTS Quadratic growth best fit the data. MiND and MaND predicted reduced recall on each trial. MaND predicted reduced rate of learning acquisition (i.e., word gains per trial) over-and-above MiND, even after controlling for age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, and mono/bilingualism. CONCLUSIONS Nonlinear growth-with continuous but diminishing gains over trials-best characterized verbal learning acquisition. Reduced word recall each trial may help differentiate MiND from no neurocognitive disorder, while reduced rate of verbal learning acquisition may help differentiate MaND from MiND.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy A Webber
- Psychology Service, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Janice C Marceaux
- Psychology Service, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Edan A Critchfield
- Psychology Service, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Jason R Soble
- Psychology Service, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA.,Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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11
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Williams DR, Zimprich DR, Rast P. A Bayesian nonlinear mixed-effects location scale model for learning. Behav Res Methods 2019; 51:1968-1986. [PMID: 31069713 PMCID: PMC6800615 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-019-01255-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
We present a Bayesian nonlinear mixed-effects location scale model (NL-MELSM). The NL-MELSM allows for fitting nonlinear functions to the location, or individual means, and the scale, or within-person variance. Specifically, in the context of learning, this model allows the within-person variance to follow a nonlinear trajectory, where it can be determined whether variability reduces during learning. It incorporates a sub-model that can predict nonlinear parameters for both the location and scale. This specification estimates random effects for all nonlinear location and scale parameters that are drawn from a common multivariate distribution. This allows estimation of covariances among the random effects, within and across the location and the scale. These covariances offer new insights into the interplay between individual mean structures and intra-individual variability in nonlinear parameters. We take a fully Bayesian approach, not only for ease of estimation but also for inference because it provides the necessary and consistent information for use in psychological applications, such as model selection and hypothesis testing. To illustrate the model, we use data from 333 individuals, consisting of three age groups, who participated in five learning trials that assessed verbal memory. In an exploratory context, we demonstrate that fitting a nonlinear function to the within-person variance, and allowing for individual variation therein, improves predictive accuracy compared to customary modeling techniques (e.g., assuming constant variance). We conclude by discussing the usefulness, limitations, and future directions of the NL-MELSM.
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12
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Rostral locus coeruleus integrity is associated with better memory performance in older adults. Nat Hum Behav 2019; 3:1203-1214. [PMID: 31501542 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0715-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
For decades, research into memory decline in human cognitive ageing has focused on neocortical regions, the hippocampus and dopaminergic neuromodulation. Recent findings indicate that the locus coeruleus (LC) and noradrenergic neuromodulation may also play an important role in shaping memory development in later life. However, technical challenges in quantification of LC integrity have hindered the study of LC-cognition associations in humans. Using high-resolution, neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging, we found that individual differences in learning and memory were positively associated with LC integrity across a variety of memory tasks in both younger (n = 66) and older adults (n = 228). Moreover, we observed functionally relevant age differences confined to rostral LC. Older adults with a more 'youth-like' rostral LC also showed higher memory performance. These findings link non-invasive, in vivo indices of LC integrity to memory in ageing and highlight the role of the LC norepinephrine system in the decline of cognition.
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Cavallini E, Bottiroli S, Dunlosky J, Ambiel E, Lux A, Hertzog C. Strategy-adaptation memory training: predictors of older adults’ training gains. OPEN PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1515/psych-2018-0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractOver the past decades, memory training interventions have been developed in an attempt to stabilize or enhance memory functioning in aging. Only recently has attention been paid to individual differences in training gains and consequently to predictors of such gains. The aim of the present study was to identify which specific cognitive mechanisms/processes or components of the intervention were responsible for the desired change and which individuals were more responsive to memory strategic training. Eighty-one older adults (aged 55 to 82) were involved in a four-session strategy-adaptation training based on a learner-oriented approach that has previously been found to be effective in improving memory performance in practiced and untrained tasks. Results showed that baseline performance in memory tasks predicted the gains in the practiced task. Baseline performance in memory tasks and other cognitive variables, such as working memory, processing speed, and verbal knowledge predicted transfer effects. Interestingly, we found that the magnitude of training gain on the associative memory practiced task predicted the gains in the transfer tasks, suggesting those who best implemented the targeted strategies during training realized greater transfer to other tasks. Our study shows that older adults with larger cognitive resources will benefit more from interventions focused on the generalization via active processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Cavallini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Sara Bottiroli
- Giustino Fortunato University, Benevento, 82100, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | | | - Erika Ambiel
- Hildebrand Clinic, Brissago, CH-6614, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Lux
- C.I.S.A.S. Santhià, Santhià, 13048, Italy
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Ng AR, Bucks RS, Loft S, Woods SP, Weinborn MG. Growth curve models in retrospective memory and prospective memory: the relationship between prediction and performance with task experience. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2018.1491854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R. J. Ng
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Romola S. Bucks
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Shayne Loft
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Steven P. Woods
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
- Department of Psychology, The University of Houston, Houston, USA
| | - Michael G. Weinborn
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia
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Evaluating verbal learning and memory in patients with an at-risk mental state or first episode psychosis using structural equation modelling. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196936. [PMID: 29746524 PMCID: PMC5944996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Verbal learning and memory are impaired not only in patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) but also-to a lower extent-in those with an at-risk mental state for psychosis (ARMS). However, little is known about the specific nature of these impairments. Hence, we aimed to study learning and memory processes in ARMS and FEP patients by making use of structural equation modelling. METHODS Verbal learning was assessed with the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) in 98 FEP patients, 126 ARMS patients and 68 healthy controls (HC) as part of the Basel early detection of psychosis (FePsy) study. The four-factorial CFA model of Donders was used to estimate test performance on latent variables of the CVLT and growth curve analysis was used to model the learning curve. The latter allows disentangling initial recall, which is strongly determined by attentional processes, from the learning rate. RESULTS The CFA model revealed that ARMS and FEP patients were impaired in Attention Span, Learning Efficiency and Delayed Memory and that FEP patients were additionally impaired in Inaccurate Memory. Additionally, ARMS-NT, but not ARMS-T, performed significantly worse than HC on Learning Efficiency. The growth curve model indicated that FEP patients were impaired in both initial recall and learning rate and that ARMS patients were only impaired in the learning rate. CONCLUSIONS Since impairments were more pronounced in the learning rate than the initial recall, our results suggest that the lower scores in the CVLT reported in previous studies are more strongly driven by impairments in the rate of learning than by attentional processes.
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16
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Woods AJ, Cohen R, Marsiske M, Alexander GE, Czaja SJ, Wu S. Augmenting cognitive training in older adults (The ACT Study): Design and Methods of a Phase III tDCS and cognitive training trial. Contemp Clin Trials 2018; 65:19-32. [PMID: 29313802 PMCID: PMC5803439 DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2017.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adults over age 65 represent the fastest growing population in the US. Decline in cognitive abilities is a hallmark of advanced age and is associated with loss of independence and dementia risk. There is a pressing need to develop effective interventions for slowing or reversing the cognitive aging process. While certain forms of cognitive training have shown promise in this area, effects only sometimes transfer to neuropsychological tests within or outside the trained domain. This paper describes a NIA-funded Phase III adaptive multisite randomized clinical trial, examining whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of frontal cortices enhances neurocognitive outcomes achieved from cognitive training in older adults experiencing age-related cognitive decline: the Augmenting Cognitive Training in Older Adults study (ACT). METHODS ACT will enroll 360 participants aged 65 to 89 with age-related cognitive decline, but not dementia. Participants will undergo cognitive training intervention or education training-control combined with tDCS or sham tDCS control. Cognitive training employs a suite of eight adaptive training tasks focused on attention/speed of processing and working memory from Posit Science BrainHQ. Training control involves exposure to educational nature/history videos and related content questions of the same interval/duration as the cognitive training. Participants are assessed at baseline, after training (12weeks), and 12-month follow-up on our primary outcome measure, NIH Toolbox Fluid Cognition Composite Score, as well as a comprehensive neurocognitive, functional, clinical and multimodal neuroimaging battery. SIGNIFICANCE The findings from this study have the potential to significantly enhance efforts to ameliorate cognitive aging and slow dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Woods
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research Program, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, United States.
| | - Ronald Cohen
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research Program, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, United States
| | - Michael Marsiske
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research Program, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, United States
| | - Gene E Alexander
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Physiological Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, BIO5 Institute, and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Sara J Czaja
- Center on Aging, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McKnight Brain Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, United States
| | - Samuel Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, United States
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17
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Lecce S, Ceccato I, Rosi A, Bianco F, Bottiroli S, Cavallini E. Theory of mind plasticity in aging: The role of baseline, verbal knowledge, and executive functions. Neuropsychol Rehabil 2017; 29:440-455. [PMID: 28385110 DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2017.1308871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to the ability to attribute mental states to the self and others in order to explain and predict social behaviour. Meta-analytic results have shown a decline in ToM abilities in healthy older adults. Recent research has also highlighted the possibility of enhancing older adults' ToM performance through group conversations focused on mental states. Our aim was to determine whether the extent to which older people benefited from a ToM training was predicted by performance on a battery of executive functioning tasks, on baselines in ToM tasks, on verbal knowledge. Forty-three older adults (60-84 years) participated in a three-session ToM training programme that has previously shown to be effective in improving ToM ability. Results showed that verbal knowledge predicted training gains in practiced ToM tasks. In addition, age, executive functions and baseline performance predicted training gains in non-practiced ToM tasks. Results are discussed in light of the amplification model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Lecce
- a Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy
| | - Irene Ceccato
- a Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy
| | - Alessia Rosi
- a Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy
| | - Federica Bianco
- a Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy
| | - Sara Bottiroli
- b Headache Science Centre, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute , Pavia , Italy
| | - Elena Cavallini
- a Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy
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18
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Van der Elst W, Molenberghs G, van Tetering M, Jolles J. Establishing normative data for multi-trial memory tests: the multivariate regression-based approach. Clin Neuropsychol 2017; 31:1173-1187. [PMID: 28276864 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2017.1294202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Multi-trial memory tests are widely used in research and clinical practice because they allow for assessing different aspects of memory and learning in a single comprehensive test procedure. However, the use of multi-trial memory tests also raises some key data analysis issues. Indeed, the different trial scores are typically all correlated, and this correlation has to be properly accounted for in the statistical analyses. In the present paper, the focus is on the setting where normative data have to be established for multi-trial memory tests. At present, normative data for such tests are typically based on a series of univariate analyses, i.e. a statistical model is fitted for each of the test scores separately. This approach is suboptimal because (1) the correlated nature of the data is not accounted for, (2) multiple testing issues may arise, and (3) the analysis is not parsimonious. METHOD AND RESULTS Here, a normative approach that is not hampered by these issues is proposed (the so-called multivariate regression-based approach). The methodology is exemplified in a sample of N = 221 Dutch-speaking children (aged between 5.82 and 15.49 years) who were administered Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test. An online Appendix that details how the analyses can be conducted in practice (using the R software) is also provided. CONCLUSION The multivariate normative regression-based approach has some substantial methodological advantages over univariate regression-based methods. In addition, the method allows for testing substantive hypotheses that cannot be addressed in a univariate framework (e.g. trial by covariate interactions can be modeled).
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Affiliation(s)
- Wim Van der Elst
- a Statistical & Decisions Sciences - Quantitative Sciences , The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson , Beerse , Belgium.,b Center for Statistics (CenStat), KU Leuven & UHasselt , Diepenbeek , Belgium
| | - Geert Molenberghs
- b Center for Statistics (CenStat), KU Leuven & UHasselt , Diepenbeek , Belgium
| | - Marleen van Tetering
- c Centre for Brain & Learning, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands
| | - Jelle Jolles
- c Centre for Brain & Learning, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands
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19
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Griffin JW, John SE, Adams JW, Bussell CA, Saurman JL, Gavett BE. The effects of age on the learning and forgetting of primacy, middle, and recency components of a multi-trial word list. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2017; 39:900-912. [PMID: 28095744 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2017.1278746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The serial position effect reveals that recall of a supraspan list of words follows a predictable pattern, whereby words at the beginning (primacy) and end (recency) of a list are recalled more easily than words in the middle. This effect has typically been studied using single list-learning trials, but in neuropsychology, multi-trial list-learning tests are more commonly used. The current study examined trends in learning for primacy, middle, and recency effects across multiple trials in younger and older age cohorts. Participants were 158 volunteers, including 79 adults aged 17-36 ("younger" group) and 79 adults aged 54-89 years ("older" group). Each participant completed four learning trials and one delayed (5-10 min) recall trial from the Memory Assessment Scales. Scores were divided into primacy (first four words), middle (middle four words), and recency (final four words) scores for all trials. For list acquisition, mixed effects modeling examined the main effects of and interactions between learning slope (logarithmic), age group, and serial position. Rate of learning increased logarithmically over four trials and varied by serial position, with growth of middle and recency word acquisition increasing more rapidly than recall of primacy words; this interaction did not differ by age group. Delayed retention differed according to age group and serial position; both older and younger adults demonstrated similar retention for primacy words, but older adults showed reduced retention for middle and recency words. Although older adults acquired less information across learning trials, the reason for this reduced acquisition was related to initial learning, not to rate of learning over time. Older compared to younger adults were less efficient at transferring middle and recency words from short-term to long-term memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason W Griffin
- a Department of Psychology , University of Colorado , Colorado Springs , CO , USA
| | - Samantha E John
- a Department of Psychology , University of Colorado , Colorado Springs , CO , USA
| | - Jason W Adams
- a Department of Psychology , University of Colorado , Colorado Springs , CO , USA
| | - Cara A Bussell
- a Department of Psychology , University of Colorado , Colorado Springs , CO , USA
| | - Jessica L Saurman
- a Department of Psychology , University of Colorado , Colorado Springs , CO , USA
| | - Brandon E Gavett
- a Department of Psychology , University of Colorado , Colorado Springs , CO , USA
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Gifford KA, Phillips JS, Samuels LR, Lane EM, Bell SP, Liu D, Hohman TJ, Romano RR, Fritzsche LR, Lu Z, Jefferson AL. Associations between Verbal Learning Slope and Neuroimaging Markers across the Cognitive Aging Spectrum. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2015; 21:455-67. [PMID: 26219209 PMCID: PMC4657447 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617715000430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A symptom of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a flat learning profile. Learning slope calculation methods vary, and the optimal method for capturing neuroanatomical changes associated with MCI and early AD pathology is unclear. This study cross-sectionally compared four different learning slope measures from the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (simple slope, regression-based slope, two-slope method, peak slope) to structural neuroimaging markers of early AD neurodegeneration (hippocampal volume, cortical thickness in parahippocampal gyrus, precuneus, and lateral prefrontal cortex) across the cognitive aging spectrum [normal control (NC); (n=198; age=76±5), MCI (n=370; age=75±7), and AD (n=171; age=76±7)] in ADNI. Within diagnostic group, general linear models related slope methods individually to neuroimaging variables, adjusting for age, sex, education, and APOE4 status. Among MCI, better learning performance on simple slope, regression-based slope, and late slope (Trial 2-5) from the two-slope method related to larger parahippocampal thickness (all p-values<.01) and hippocampal volume (p<.01). Better regression-based slope (p<.01) and late slope (p<.01) were related to larger ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in MCI. No significant associations emerged between any slope and neuroimaging variables for NC (p-values ≥.05) or AD (p-values ≥.02). Better learning performances related to larger medial temporal lobe (i.e., hippocampal volume, parahippocampal gyrus thickness) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in MCI only. Regression-based and late slope were most highly correlated with neuroimaging markers and explained more variance above and beyond other common memory indices, such as total learning. Simple slope may offer an acceptable alternative given its ease of calculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A. Gifford
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jeffrey S. Phillips
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Lauren R. Samuels
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Elizabeth M. Lane
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Susan P. Bell
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Dandan Liu
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Timothy J. Hohman
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Raymond R. Romano
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Laura R. Fritzsche
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Zengqi Lu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Angela L. Jefferson
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
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Barbot B, Krivulskaya S, Hein S, Reich J, Thuma PE, Grigorenko EL. Identifying learning patterns of children at risk for Specific Reading Disability. Dev Sci 2015; 19:402-18. [PMID: 26037654 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Differences in learning patterns of vocabulary acquisition in children at risk (+SRD) and not at risk (-SRD) for Specific Reading Disability (SRD) were examined using a microdevelopmental paradigm applied to the multi-trial Foreign Language Learning Task (FLLT; Baddeley et al., 1995). The FLLT was administered to 905 children from rural Chitonga-speaking Zambia. A multi-group Latent Growth Curve Model (LGCM) was implemented to study interindividual differences in intraindividual change across trials. Results showed that the +SRD group recalled fewer words correctly in the first trial, learned at a slower rate during the subsequent trials, and demonstrated a more linear learning pattern compared to the -SRD group. This study illustrates the promise of LGCM applied to multi-trial learning tasks, by isolating three components of the learning process (initial recall, rate of learning, and functional pattern of learning). Implications of this microdevelopmental approach to SRD research in low-to-middle income countries are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Barbot
- Department of Psychology, Pace University, New York, USA.,Child Study Center, Yale University, USA
| | | | | | - Jodi Reich
- Child Study Center, Yale University, USA.,Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, USA
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Kurtz T, Zimprich D. Individual Differences in Subjective Organization and Verbal Learning in Old Age. Exp Aging Res 2014; 40:531-54. [DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2014.956619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Bürki CN, Ludwig C, Chicherio C, de Ribaupierre A. Individual differences in cognitive plasticity: an investigation of training curves in younger and older adults. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2014; 78:821-35. [PMID: 24652343 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-014-0559-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
To date, cognitive intervention research has provided mixed but nevertheless promising evidence with respect to the effects of cognitive training on untrained tasks (transfer). However, the mechanisms behind learning, training effects and their predictors are not fully understood. Moreover, individual differences, which may constitute an important factor impacting training outcome, are usually neglected. We suggest investigating individual training performance across training sessions in order to gain finer-grained knowledge of training gains, on the one hand, and assessing the potential impact of predictors such as age and fluid intelligence on learning rate, on the other hand. To this aim, we propose to model individual learning curves to examine the intra-individual change in training as well as inter-individual differences in intra-individual change. We recommend introducing a latent growth curve model (LGCM) analysis, a method frequently applied to learning data but rarely used in cognitive training research. Such advanced analyses of the training phase allow identifying factors to be respected when designing effective tailor-made training interventions. To illustrate the proposed approach, a LGCM analysis using data of a 10-day working memory training study in younger and older adults is reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline N Bürki
- Felix Platter-Hospital, University Center for Medicine of Aging Basel, Basel, Switzerland,
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Bezdicek O, Stepankova H, Moták L, Axelrod BN, Woodard JL, Preiss M, Nikolai T, Růžička E, Poreh A. Czech version of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test: Normative data. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2013; 21:693-721. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2013.865699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Kurtz T, Zimprich D. Individual differences in criterion-based dropout learning in old age: the role of processing speed and verbal knowledge. Eur J Ageing 2013; 11:183-193. [PMID: 28804325 DOI: 10.1007/s10433-013-0293-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study, individual differences in criterion-based dropout learning in old age were investigated. The predictive role of processing speed and verbal knowledge for individual differences in this type of learning was analyzed. Learning trajectories were modeled using a multilevel approach based on N = 47 older participants (Mage = 69.3, SD = 6.4). Participants learned five lists of eight cue-target word pairs across six study-test cycles maximally possible. Results indicate that there were reliable individual differences in the initial level, speed of learning, and quadratic growth of learning. After adjusting for age-related effects, both higher verbal knowledge and higher processing speed had a positive effect on speed of learning. Additionally, verbal knowledge had a negative effect on quadratic growth of learning. Speed of learning and quadratic growth had a positive effect on a delayed recall test after adjusting for effects of processing speed and verbal knowledge. These results emphasize the role of cognitive abilities for individual differences in criterion-based dropout learning in old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Kurtz
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 47, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Daniel Zimprich
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 47, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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Davis HP, Klebe KJ, Guinther PM, Schroder KB, Cornwell RE, James LE. Subjective organization, verbal learning, and forgetting across the life span: from 5 to 89. Exp Aging Res 2013; 39:1-26. [PMID: 23316734 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2013.741956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Previous tests of the relationship between subjective organization during encoding, aging, and recall have produced inconsistent findings. The present study investigates subjective organization and the acquisition and recall of verbal material across the life span (from 5 to 89 years of age) using two measures, the intertrial repetition paired frequency (PF) measure and the unidirectional subjective organization (SO) measure. METHODS Participants (N = 2656) were administered a version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, including a delayed recall trial. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were performed to examine the relationship between age and subjective organization and between age and recall. Mediation and growth curve analyses were performed to further examine the relationship between age, verbal acquisition, and subjective organization. RESULTS Subjective organization was not predictive of verbal forgetting. Deficits in verbal acquisition and subjective organization were detected among children and elderly adults. Mediational analyses showed that age affected the number of words recalled as well as subjective organization, and that subjective organization affected the number of words recalled in children, young adults and elderly. Latent growth curve modeling suggests that increases in subjective organization over time are related to increases in recall over time for each age group. CONCLUSION Subjective organization is predictive of recall, and both subjective organization and recall are lowest among children and elderly individuals. Age has direct effects on recall but this effect is partially mediated by subjective organization. Brain imaging studies showing increased prefrontal cortex activation during encoding of remembered words bolster our findings that age affects the relationship between verbal learning and organization of material during encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasker P Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO 80933, USA.
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Gross AL, Rebok GW, Brandt J, Tommet D, Marsiske M, Jones RN. Modeling learning and memory using verbal learning tests: results from ACTIVE. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2013; 68:153-67. [PMID: 22929389 PMCID: PMC3693605 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbs053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2011] [Accepted: 04/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of memory training on initial recall and learning. METHOD The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study of community-dwelling adults older than age 65 (n = 1,401). We decomposed trial-level recall in the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) into initial recall and learning across trials using latent growth models. RESULTS Trial-level increases in words recalled in the AVLT and HVLT at each follow-up visit followed an approximately logarithmic shape. Over the 5-year study period, memory training was associated with slower decline in Trial 1 AVLT recall (Cohen's d = 0.35, p = .03) and steep pre- and posttraining acceleration in learning (d = 1.56, p < .001). Findings were replicated using the HVLT (decline in initial recall, d = 0.60, p = .01; pre- and posttraining acceleration in learning, d = 3.10, p < .001). Because of the immediate training boost, the memory-trained group had a higher level of recall than the control group through the end of the 5-year study period despite faster decline in learning. DISCUSSION This study contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms by which training benefits memory and expands current knowledge by reporting long-term changes in initial recall and learning, as measured from growth models and by characterization of the impact of memory training on these components. Results reveal that memory training delays the worsening of memory span and boosts learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alden L Gross
- Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts 02131, USA.
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Rast P, Zimprich D. Individual differences in a positional learning task across the adult lifespan. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2009.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Differential effects of intelligence, perceptual speed and age on growth in attentional speed and accuracy. INTELLIGENCE 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2009.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Wang L, Zhang Z, McArdle JJ, Salthouse TA. Investigating Ceiling Effects in Longitudinal Data Analysis. MULTIVARIATE BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH 2009; 43:476-496. [PMID: 19924269 PMCID: PMC2778494 DOI: 10.1080/00273170802285941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Score limitation at the top of a scale is commonly termed "ceiling effect." Ceiling effects can lead to serious artifactual parameter estimates in most data analysis. This study examines the consequences of ceiling effects in longitudinal data analysis and investigates several methods of dealing with ceiling effects through Monte Carlo simulations and empirical data analyses. Data were simulated based on a latent growth curve model with T = 5 occasions. The proportion of the ceiling data [10%-40%] was manipulated by using different thresholds, and estimated parameters were examined for R = 500 replications. The results showed that ceiling effects led to incorrect model selection and biased parameter estimation (shape of the curve and magnitude of the changes) when regular growth curve models were applied. The Tobit growth curve model, instead, performed very well in dealing with ceiling effects in longitudinal data analysis. The Tobit growth curve model was then applied in an empirical cognitive aging study and the results were discussed.
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Zimprich D, Rast P. Verbal learning changes in older adults across 18 months. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2009; 16:461-84. [PMID: 19365771 DOI: 10.1080/13825580902785663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The major aim of this study was to investigate individual changes in verbal learning across a period of 18 months. Individual differences in verbal learning have largely been neglected in the last years and, even more so, individual differences in change in verbal learning. The sample for this study comes from the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging (ZULU; Zimprich et al., 2008a) and comprised 336 older adults in the age range of 65-80 years at first measurement occasion. In order to address change in verbal learning we used a latent change model of structured latent growth curves to account for the non-linearity of the verbal learning data. The individual learning trajectories were captured by a hyperbolic function which yielded three psychologically distinct parameters: initial performance, learning rate, and asymptotic performance. We found that average performance increased with respect to initial performance, but not in learning rate or in asymptotic performance. Further, variances and covariances remained stable across both measurement occasions, indicating that the amount of individual differences in the three parameters remained stable, as did the relationships among them. Moreover, older adults differed reliably in their amount of change in initial performance and asymptotic performance. Eventually, changes in asymptotic performance and learning rate were strongly negatively correlated. It thus appears as if change in verbal learning in old age is a constrained process: an increase in total learning capacity implies that it takes longer to learn. Together, these results point to the significance of individual differences in change of verbal learning in the elderly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Zimprich
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Zimprich D, Martin M, Kliegel M, Dellenbach M, Rast P, Zeintl M. Cognitive Abilities in Old Age: Results from the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging. SWISS JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2008. [DOI: 10.1024/1421-0185.67.3.177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging (ZULU) is an ongoing longitudinal study on the structure and development of cognition in old age. At the first assessment, the N = 364 participants had an average age of 73 years (age range: 65-80 years), and 46% were female. In total, a battery of 14 cognitive tests, including five consecutive verbal learning trials, were administered and adequately described by a measurement model of six first-order factors (processing speed, working memory, reasoning, learning, memory, and verbal knowledge) and one second-order factor of general cognitive ability. The cross-sectional age relations of the six cognitive abilities were, apart from processing speed and verbal knowledge, mediated by the general cognitive ability factor. From a conceptual perspective, these results imply that cognitive aging is not a completely uniform process driven by a single causal variable.
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Dulay MF, Levin HS, York MK, Li X, Mizrahi EM, Goldsmith I, Verma A, Goldman A, Grossman RG, Yoshor D. Changes in individual and group spatial and verbal learning characteristics after anterior temporal lobectomy. Epilepsia 2008; 50:1385-95. [PMID: 18657174 DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01730.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the effects of anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) on individual and group spatial and verbal learning and memory abilities as a function of side of surgery and seizure control outcome. METHODS We evaluated pre- and postsurgical learning and memory abilities of 75 left-hemisphere language dominant individuals who underwent ATL (33 left, 42 right) using the 8-trial Nonverbal Selective Reminding test and the 12-trial Verbal Selective Reminding test. RESULTS Reliable change index methods indicated that 40.5% of individuals who underwent right-ATL had a clinically significant decline in spatial memory, and 62.5% of individuals who underwent left-ATL had a significant reduction in verbal memory. Growth curve analyses indicated that both side of surgery and poor seizure outcome independently affected the learning slope in the best fitting models. Left-ATL reduced the slope, but did not affect the overall shape, of verbal learning across trials. On the other hand, poor seizure control outcome affected the slope of spatial learning regardless of the side of surgery. DISCUSSION Results demonstrate both individual and group declines in spatial memory and learning after ATL. Results suggest that individuals who undergo right-ATL should be counseled regarding the likelihood of a decline in spatial memory and learning abilities after ATL. Results also suggest that individuals with poor seizure control after ATL should be referred for rehabilitation services given the significant declines in spatial and verbal memory that occurred in our sample regardless of side of surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario F Dulay
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
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Zhang Z, Davis HP, Salthouse TA, Tucker-Drob EM. Correlates of individual, and age-related, differences in short-term learning. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2007; 17. [PMID: 24347995 DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2007.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Latent growth models were applied to data on multitrial verbal and spatial learning tasks from two independent studies. Although significant individual differences in both initial level of performance and subsequent learning were found in both tasks, age differences were found only in mean initial level, and not in mean learning. In neither task was fluid or crystallized intelligence associated with learning. Although there were moderate correlations among the level parameters across the verbal and spatial tasks, the learning parameters were not significantly correlated with one another across task modalities. These results are inconsistent with the existence of a general (e.g., material-independent) learning ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, United States
| | - Hasker P Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, United States
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