Department of Psychology, Achva Academic College, Beer-Tuvia, Israel.
Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva Mental Health Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
PLoS One. 2022 Aug 12;17(8):e0268557. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268557. eCollection 2022.
Studies have shown associative-memory decline in aging. While the literature is inconclusive regarding the source of the deficit, some researchers argue that it is caused by impaired encoding and maintenance processes in working-memory (WM). Successful retrieval of a stimulus depends on its sequential presentation in the learning list: stimuli at the beginning or the end of the learning list benefit from higher retrieval probability. These effects are known as "primacy" and "recency" effects, respectively. In the case of the primacy-effect, stimuli at early list positions benefit from extensive rehearsal that results in enhanced consolidation and trace in long-term memory (LTM). In the case of the recency-effect, target stimuli at later serial positions are still maintained in WM and can therefore be effortlessly retrieved. Considering these effects could shed light on the involvement of WM in associative-binding. Both behavioral and neuroimaging researchers have studied associative-decline in aging. However, no work has explicitly tested age differences in memory for items versus associations as a function of stimuli serial position (SSP). In the current study, 22 younger and 22 older adults were recruited to participate in a study aimed to test the separate and joint effects of both SSP and aging on memory-recognition of items and associations. In the task used, retrieval was manipulated for SSP (beginning/middle/end of the list) and item/associations recognition modes. We hypothesized that greater associative-decline will be observed in older adults, specifically for recently presented material. The results showed that both groups presented a significant associative-deficit at the recency positions; this decrease was additive and did not correspond to the expected interaction effect. Further analysis showed that the source of associative-memory decline for stimuli at recency position in older adults resulted from an increase in false-alarm (FA) rates. These results support the involvement of WM-binding impairment in aging.
研究表明，随着年龄的增长，联想记忆会衰退。虽然文献对于缺陷的来源尚无定论，但一些研究人员认为，这是由于工作记忆 (WM) 中的编码和维持过程受损所致。刺激的成功检索取决于其在学习列表中的顺序呈现：学习列表开头或结尾的刺激受益于更高的检索概率。这些效应分别称为“首因效应”和“近因效应”。在首因效应的情况下，早期列表位置的刺激受益于广泛的复述，从而增强了巩固和长期记忆 (LTM) 中的痕迹。在近因效应的情况下，稍后的系列位置的目标刺激仍保留在 WM 中，因此可以毫不费力地检索。考虑到这些效应，可以深入了解 WM 在联想结合中的参与。行为和神经影像学研究人员都研究了衰老过程中的联想衰退。然而，尚无研究明确测试过记忆项目和联想的年龄差异，作为刺激序列位置 (SSP) 的函数。在当前的研究中，招募了 22 名年轻成年人和 22 名年长成年人，以参与一项旨在测试 SSP 和年龄对项目和联想记忆识别的单独和联合影响的研究。在使用的任务中，检索是根据 SSP（列表的开头/中间/结尾）和项目/联想识别模式进行操纵的。我们假设，在年长成年人中，会观察到更大的联想衰退，特别是对于最近呈现的材料。结果表明，两个组在近因位置都表现出明显的联想缺陷；这种减少是累加的，与预期的交互作用效应不对应。进一步的分析表明，年长成年人在近因位置的刺激的联想记忆衰退的原因是错误警报 (FA) 率的增加。这些结果支持 WM 结合损伤在衰老中的参与。
