Lovelace E A, Cooley S
J Gerontol. 1982 Jul;37(4):432-7. doi: 10.1093/geronj/37.4.432.
Verbal free association responses were elicited to 56 single-word stimuli and 30 triads of conceptually related words from 95 older adults (52 to 90 years) and 31 younger adults (23 to 49). For single words, the distribution of paradigmatic and syntagmatic associations was similar for the older and younger samples; multiple regression analysis indicated that, although vocabulary scores were a good predictor of type of response, age was not. Specific responses to single words were similar for older and younger adults; there was some evidence of a slight reduction in commonality of associations with aging. For triad stimuli, the levels of responses reflecting shared membership in a natural category or a shared characteristic (sensory) feature were similar for younger and older adults; again vocabulary scores consistently predicted such responses, but age did not.
对95名老年人（52至90岁）和31名年轻人（23至49岁）进行了言语自由联想反应测试，测试内容包括56个单字刺激和30组概念相关的单词三元组。对于单字，老年人和年轻人样本的范例性联想和组合性联想分布相似；多元回归分析表明，虽然词汇分数是反应类型的良好预测指标，但年龄不是。老年人和年轻人对单字的具体反应相似；有证据表明，随着年龄增长，联想的共同性略有下降。对于三元组刺激，反映自然类别中的共享成员或共享特征（感官）特征的反应水平在年轻人和老年人中相似；同样，词汇分数始终可以预测此类反应，但年龄不能。
